


Golden Boy

by xmjcx



Series: golden boy [2]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Boxing & Fisticuffs, Dog Sven, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Ice Bros - Freeform, Kristanna, Princess Anna, background elsamaren, boxer kristoff, ex-boyfriend hans, mentions of past emotionally-abusive relationship, snow sisters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:02:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 130,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22326028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xmjcx/pseuds/xmjcx
Summary: Modern AU.A bad break-up sees Princess Anna want to do nothing more than hide away from the prying eyes of the entire country for a while, but everything changes when her sister convinces her to accompany her on a date to a boxing match. There, Anna catches the eye of an up and coming boxer named Kristoff; who might just change her entire world.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Background Elsa/Honeymaren - Relationship
Series: golden boy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762186
Comments: 673
Kudos: 427





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries.  
> Enjoy!

"Remind me again why I'm going through with this?"

Anna frowned as she checked over her appearance in the mirror. She couldn't quite put her finger on what, or why, or how; but everything about her reflection just looked _wrong._

From where she was perched on a stool by the too-white vanity table – checking over her own appearance – Elsa sighed audibly. She didn’t entertain her sister, though, and instead continued to focus on applying another layer of dark mascara to her freshly curled lashes.

“Because I’m your sister, and you love me,” she said simply.

Anna groaned.

" _And_ you know how much better I'll feel about all of this if you come along with me,” the blonde continued, setting the mascara down in its correct place alongside the rest of her make-up.

Anna didn’t know why, but watching her sister move in a way that was always so _organised_ made her feel even worse.

She shook her head in order to snap herself out of her thoughts before she sighed softly. “Oh, _please_ ,” she practically snorted, attempting to lighten her mood. “You and I both know that you’ll forget all about me the second that you see her.”

Elsa rolled her eyes at her sister’s teasing comment, but the blonde couldn’t help but bite; a sly smirk spreading on her face as she responded. “Which is exactly why I invited Olaf.”

Anna attempted to groan dramatically once again, but she couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out of her lips. She shook her head slightly before she focused her attention upon the reflection in the full-length mirror once again.

The redhead tried her best to reason with herself about how much fun she might have this evening. After all, this was exactly the kind of thing that she had always loved to do - sneak around so that no paparazzi caught them, getting into all sorts of mischief alongside her sister and hiding in plain sight by going to places that nobody expected the princesses to go to. 

But whilst she was certainly feeling a lot more like herself since her very public break-up from her very public relationship with her ex-boyfriend - if you could even call him that, really, since they were only dating for a matter of weeks; and it turned out that they weren't _exclusive_ like Anna had been led to believe - she was still healing.

And, you know.

 _Hiding_.

Anna's light blue eyes had glazed over whilst she had been thinking, and she hadn't noticed her sister approach until two cool, pale hands were settled on top of her bare shoulders. The redhead jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, but she righted herself quickly and offered her older sister a small smile in the mirror. 

“Hey,” Elsa said, her voice soft; practically a whisper, all jovial, teasing tones stripped away so that there was nothing but her serious sister who looked ever so much like the future Queen she was. “You know that I'm only teasing you. Kind of. You – you don’t really have to come with us, if you don’t want to.”

Anna bit down on her bottom lip. Here it was - she was being offered an out after all, and the opportunity almost felt too good to be true. 

Deep down, she longed for nothing more than to do her usual Friday night trick of curling up in bed with a tub of chocolate ice-cream whilst watching a load of shitty rom-com's that would make her want to laugh and cry simultaneously, and yet -

_And yet._

There was a part of her that almost wanted to go.

A tiny, sliver of a part; but a part nonetheless, and Anna figured that it still counted.

In her very dramatic, intense and short-lived relationship with Hans, Anna had learned many things. Mainly, how to doubt, question and over-analyse herself. These were all things that she had never really done before - she'd always been more of a _do it and think about the consequences later_ kind of person, and over-thinking had always been more of her sister's thing; but very soon into their relationship, negative traits and qualities that she had never noticed about herself before seemed to seep out of her until she had felt very much like an insignificant, paranoid and uncertain ball of – well - _nothing_.

And then, when she had woken up one morning to the news of his other relationships being splashed all over the tabloids and social media - because of _course_ there were several other women as well as Anna - those negative feelings had intensified in a way that she would have never had thought to be possible. 

Even now, five months since she had last spoken to him - a quick message to say that she was blocking his number once and for all - and six months since she had ended their relationship due to his lies, his words still had a way of creeping up on her. It was almost like she could still hear him whispering into her ear, sometimes - _nobody wants_ you _, what a_ fool _you are, too bad_ nobody _loves you_ \- and they had a way of making her feel so vulnerable.

And now, here she stands - not knowing whether she wants to go out with her sister and her friends or not.

Ridiculously, really. 

“Anna,” Elsa said her name softly, breaking her from her thoughts once again. “I mean it. You really don’t have to come. I – it's just some stupid fight night. I'll be absolutely fine, you don’t need to worry about me. Olaf will be there, and Honey-”

“I’m coming,” Anna interrupted, and there was a hard, sure certainty to her voice that sounded unfamiliar.

In a good way.

Elsa quirked a brow, but her lips turned up ever so slightly in a smile that gave her true excitement away.

“You’re sure?” she prodded, her pale blue eyes roaming across her younger sister’s face – no doubt searching for any trace of uncertainty on her features. But Anna nodded her head simply and hoped that she could convince Elsa just as well as she was attempting to convince herself.

The words _why not_ seemed to echo in her head; quietly at first, almost a whisper, and Anna found herself smiling wider as they became louder.

She was determined to listen to that voice within her; to not push it down, or push it out, but to embrace it in all the ways that she could. “Yeah,” she responded as she turned around to face her sister, her voice louder now, more confident. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

.

.

.

Anna had never condoned violence, per se; but she supposed that she _had_ gotten quite the thrill out of punching Hans square in the jaw – even if that image had been posted and tweeted and shared far more times than she cared to acknowledge. Nevertheless, a part of her still felt nervous and uncertain as she took her seat right in the middle of Elsa and Olaf, just a few rows back from the ring.

“This way, we get a good view without any of the blood,” Honeymaren – her sister’s sort-of girlfriend – had explained.

Anna and her sister had never exactly been sticklers for the rules, or for royal traditions; and the redhead could only imagine just how appalled all of the men in suits who traipsed round after their parents would be if they knew that the two princesses were attending a boxing match, of all things.

 _Gee_ , Anna thought to herself. _How utterly scandelous._

After all, this wasn’t just _a_ boxing match, it was _several_. Honeymaren was the one who really enjoyed this kind of thing, and she had explained to Anna that fight-nights really worked on the atmosphere of the crowd; so the younger, inexperienced fighters came out first, and on and on the evening went, all building up to the final fight. 

Olaf enjoyed it all, too; and even though Anna had already known that he would be there, her shoulders still sagged in relief at the sight of him perched in his assigned seat chatting with Honeymaren. 

The two sisters had arrived a little bit later in the evening - mostly so that they could leave the palace walls in the cover of darkness and reduce the likelihood of being spotted by any concealed paparazzi or journalists. It meant that they had missed the first couple of fights, but there were several more to go until the evening came to an end, and even then, it wasn't truly over. 

There was always an after-party, somewhere or other.

True to Anna's earlier assumption, Elsa only had eyes for Honeymaren; and whilst the two women did try their best to include Anna and Olaf in their conversation, neither of them wanted to intrude or interrupt their blossoming relationship. It was all rather fragile right now: the two of them had known each other for almost a year, but the pair of them had only recently admitted to their mutual feelings, and the last thing that Anna wanted to do was spoil it all in any way by being a third-wheel. 

It wasn't as though she had anything to worry about, though - Olaf was amazing company; always so positive and energetic, and he always knew what to say in order to cheer her up and make her laugh, no matter the situation. He was sweet in the most innocent way, and he had been a true friend to her during her break-up with Hans.

Anna genuinely didn’t know what she would have done without the support of Elsa and Olaf over the last few months, and so she relished in his company.

Just as Elsa was engrossed in Honeymaren, Olaf was engrossed in the fights, though this came as an initial surprise to Anna. After all, he was usually so happy and light and carefree, so fighting wasn't something that she would have assumed he would enjoy; but nevertheless, he did, and his enthusiasm was contagious. It wasn't long before she found herself whooping and cheering and laughing along with him, a permanent grin set out across her features. 

"Who are we rooting for?" she asked him at the beginning of each fight, and he grinned knowingly every single time. 

“The underdog, of course."

.

.

.

Whilst the media had yet to find out that the princesses were in the venue, the employees certainly did, and they made sure to make a thorough fuss over the foursome, providing exemplary service along with free drinks for the duration of the evening. Still, Anna held back on the alcohol - it had been a while since she had last had a drink, and she knew that if she didn't pace herself, then she'd no doubt end up in a heap of trouble. 

However, that meant that whilst Olaf, Elsa and Honeymaren were all pleasantly tipsy, she was practically stone-cold sober, and Anna found herself growing more restless and fidgety as time ticked on. It didn't help that she had absolutely no phone signal in the venue, so she couldn't even entertain herself by checking on her socials every now and again; and though the evening had been much more entertaining so far than she had originally thought it was going to be, it all still felt somewhat strange. 

The lights dimmed in the venue, a sign that things were ready for the penultimate fight of the evening, and Anna smiled as she sipped on her diet coke. 

"So," she said, "who are we rooting for?"

As the night had progressed, there had been a palpable change in atmosphere from the crowd. What had started off as quite light-hearted seemed to grow into something more intense with each passing round, and there were several people sitting around the four of them who were practically sat on the edge of their seats, nails bitten down to the skin, eyes wide and darting. Anna didn’t really understand their feelings – after all, it was supposed to be _fun_ \- but she supposed that there was a good chance that some of these people had an awful lot of money resting on top of these fights.

Olaf took a swig of his own drink – some kind of cider – and nudged a little closer to her. “Bjorgman, of course,” he responded with a smirk, and the sound of a name rolling from his tongue in a way that was so casual caused Anna to frown.

Olaf hadn’t addressed any of the fighters by their name all night.

“Bj-huh?” she stuttered, her brows knotting together as she struggled to pronounce the name. “Who?”

Olaf simply shushed her and nodded enthusiastically towards the ring, and Anna followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked around at the men who entered. They came in from opposite sides, both surrounded by an entourage of other men who appeared as though they were practically doting on them. None of the other fighters had had this kind of fuss - there were two men on either side of the fighters carrying several water bottles, another was hovering around with a pile of dark towels, someone else ready with – wait, what even _was_ that?

“The blonde one”, Olaf directed her, and his eyes never flickered away from the ring. “He’s kind of a rookie, which is why we like him. It’s his first season and his sixteenth fight, but he hasn't lost a single one yet, which is also why we like him. It’s a win-win.”

Anna squinted further as she attempted to identify the man that Olaf was talking about, and as soon as she did, her breath caught tightly in her throat. 

It was ridiculous, truly it was; but Anna's eyes widened at the sight of him, and she scrambled within her seat so that she could sit up a little straighter, her light eyes focused on him in the same way Olaf's were.

He was handsome, painfully so, but in a way that Anna had never appreciated before. He wasn't necessarily pretty or soft or vain like other men that she knew, but he was rugged and strong and so very _large -_

And when did it get so _warm_ in here?

There were several rows of people - and, you know, the actual boxing ring - separating him from her, but Anna could clearly make out the fact that this man was _very_ tall. Even perched upon a stool in his corner of the ring, he so obviously dwarfed the men who continued to fawn all over him; though despite the distractions that surrounded him, the man's steely gaze never faltered, and he never once looked anywhere except directly across at his opponent. 

Like the other men who had fought before him that night, this man didn’t wear a shirt. Instead, a pair of dark shorts hung low on his hips, and black sneakers covered his feet to match. However, this time, looking at him _felt_ different. None of the other men that she had watched fight tonight had really caught her attention – she had watched them, of course; had cheered and laughed as they went on and on alongside Olaf – but there was something almost _enchanting_ about this one.

And _wow_ , she really was being ridiculous.

Anna felt the strangest sensation of heat beneath her cheeks, and whilst she was utterly mortified at the way in which her body was responding tot he sight of this man, she couldn't bring herself to look away from him, either. 

His hair was a shaggy mop of blonde that sat unruly on top of his head, and whilst his skin was pale, it was more golden than her own. He reached out for a dark helmet that matched his shorts and his sneakers, and she watched intently as he placed it on his head, his fair mane mostly disappearing beneath it. One of the men surrounding him grasped as his large hands and quickly covered them with bright red gloves, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly when he rolled his shoulders, giving her a better view of his _everything._

Anna had been with men, of course. She may have been a princess, but she was also a twenty-three-year-old hot-blooded woman who had felt desire and acted upon it.

Well – when she said _men_ , she really meant _a_ man. One man.

Hans.

The thought of him didn’t trouble her now, though; not like it usually did, and as her eyes roamed over the stranger's body, she thought of how much of a _man_ he was. His shoulders were broad - _so_ broad – and every part of his exposed skin was taught and defined. There was nothing petite about him; even his thighs, his hands, his _feet_ -

“Are you okay?” Olaf asked, interrupting her thoughts, and Anna blinked rapidly in an attempt to snap herself out of it before she turned to look at her friend.

“Of course!” she practically screeched, wincing slightly at the sound of her too-loud voice. 

Olaf studied her – appearing to be skeptical for another moment - but then he shrugged his shoulders dismissively and returned his attention to the ring. Anna’s tense body practically sagged in relief, and she sipped on her diet coke some more before she mustered up the courage to return her attention to the blonde fighter.

The crowd went crazy when his name was called - _Kristoff Bjorgman_ \- and Anna copied Olaf and clapped her hands as the blonde rose from his stool, not wanting to arouse suspicion since she had copied all of his cheers throughout the night. Still, the skin of her cheeks continued to burn, and Anna was convinced that if she was to look in a mirror, then her face would be the same colour as her hair – even with all of the make-up that she had applied.

A few moments later – after inaudible words with the referee and a couple of fist-bumps between the two fighters – the boxing commenced. Anna tried her best to be impartial – after all, she figured that her sudden enthusiasm for the fight would arouse suspicion – it was difficult to be anything but elated as the handsome blonde soared through the fight with a type of elegant ease that fascinated her. Whilst his opponent was covered in sweat, Kristoff appeared to be having no trouble whatsoever when it came to keeping up; and Anna could have sworn that he was almost holding back -

No sooner had she thought that, Kristoff landed a hard punch to his opponent that completely threw him off balance and sent him toppling backwards. Anna blinked, and the next thing that she knew, the other man was lay still across the floor; and after a brief countdown – which the majority of the crowd joined in on – it was declared that the fight had ended with a knock-out just before the end of the first round, and Kristoff’s gloved hand was raised into the air, signalling his victory.

The cheers that echoed around the venue were so much louder than they had been for any other fighter that night, and Anna could feel the joy bubbling within her as she observed the happy reactions from spectators within the crowd. She may not have known anything at all about this man, but the audience surrounding her clearly did; and they were certainly more than willing to enthusiastically celebrate his quick win.

Anna hadn’t paid this much attention to any of the other men who had fought this evening - hell, she didn’t even _like_ boxing, hadn’t even realised that it was a sport until earlier this evening. Yet here she was; grinning widely and thoroughly enjoying each second of the blonde man’s victory.

Unlike many of those around her, Anna remained seated. Although she itched to stand, Anna knew better than to draw too much attention to herself, and so she smiled softly from afar. Still, after a couple of seconds of gazing at the handsome, broad man wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, Anna noticed something that made her heart pound even faster in her chest.

He was staring right back at her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on the first chapter! this one ended up being a little longer than I had originally planned for it to be, but I hope you like it just as much! :)

"Anna!" Olaf called from where he leaned over the bar, and Anna giggled at the sight of his wide, drunken grin. It was a challenge to see him over the crowd of people who filled the small yet busy area, and Anna had to crane her neck in order to make eye-contact with him. "What are you drinking?"

She instinctively went to decline his offer, but before the words _I'm fine_ could ease past her lips like they had done all evening, she was suddenly re-considering. 

It was almost midnight and the after-party was in full swing, and although Anna hadn't seen _him_ make an appearance, there was a small part of her that hoped she might be able to catch another glimpse of him before the night came to an end. 

She told herself it was because it would be nice to see him with some clothes on.

Anna bit down on her bottom lip as she quickly debated before she grinned. “Strawberry daiquiri, please, Olaf!” she responded, and he gave her a thumbs up to let her know that he had heard her. 

After everything that had happened with Hans, Anna had vowed to stay away from men for a good while. Her parents had whole-heartedly approved of her decision - her father had even called her _sensible,_ of all things - as had Elsa, and over the last few months, her mother had taken the time to frequently remind her that she had to learn how to unapologetically love herself before she could love anyone else. The words were familiar in her ears, but unfamiliar on her tongue; and she had spent many nights repeating those words to herself in the hopes that they would make her feel better. 

It was easier said than done, though, particularly when a lot of the damage had been done quite some time ago. Hans might have crushed her with his cruel words and cold actions, but he wasn’t the cause of her troubles, her insecurities; her too-trusting, eager-to-please nature. It wasn’t something that her family spoke of often, but closed doors and her sister’s depression that had raged on throughout their teenage years was something that Anna could recall clear as day, and whilst Elsa was getting better, those memories were still there; sharp and clear, unforgiving and unwilling to fade away. 

Things were different now, though. Their bond was growing each day; the two sisters re-developing the closeness that they had had as little girls, long before the blonde started to seize up during conversations, before she could no longer make eye-contact with those around her, before she started to withdraw to the safety of her bedroom – and stay there; refusing to leave, refusing to _move_ , even. The relationship that they shared now – full of laughter and conversations and whispered secrets and mutual jokes and open doors – sometimes made it easy to forget just how lonely she once was; how isolated, how _afraid_ she had been.

When she remembered those feelings, she supposed that maybe Hans was telling the truth when he sneered down at her and told her that her desperation for his attention almost had an _aroma_ that lured him to her in the first place.

Still.

It had been six months.

Six months – almost seven, now – since she had brought an end to her farce of a relationship with Hans; and slowly but surely, Anna had begun to feel more confident in her ability to truly love herself. It may not have been easy, and the late-night conversations with her parents and her sister had so often been awkward and almost _painful_ ; but she was here – still breathing, still standing, still _smiling_.

He didn’t take that from her, though he had tried with all his might, and Anna loved herself for that.

And whilst Anna had made the decision to stay away from men for a good while, she was suddenly beginning to wonder just how long a ‘good while’ really was.

Olaf’s re-appearance at their booth caused Anna to snap out of her wandering thoughts, and she was surprised to see that he was carrying two strawberry daiquiris’ as opposed to the one that she had asked for. She laughed softly as he placed them both down onto the table directly in front of her.

“Olaf!” she chuckled as she shook her head from side to side. “I only asked for one.”

Olaf’s grin only grew wider as he placed his own drinks down. 

“That’s funny,” he responded, stirring his first drink with the straw. “I don’t recall you telling me a number.” 

He discarded the straw and moved to take a few long, deep chugs of the liquid as Elsa and Honeymaren appeared and placed their own drinks onto the table before they situated themselves in the middle of the booth. Despite the slight distraction, Anna continued to flow in teasing conversation with Olaf. 

“You are a terrible influence,” she said, and he burst out into loud, joyous laughter. 

Anna couldn’t help but laugh herself at the sound of it, but she mimicked him by reaching for her own drink – although she opted to use the straw. She practically sighed in relief as the cool fluid trickled down her throat in the most refreshing way.

After all, it really _was_ warm in here.

Anna’s eyes darted to her sister as she drank, and she noted the way in which Elsa looked so relaxed - so comfortable and happy and at ease - and the redhead smiled knowingly before she returned her attention to Olaf.

“So,” she said as her eyes scanned the room, “do - erm - do all of the fighters come here, afterwards?”

As one of her best friends, Olaf knew her inside-out, and there was no doubt in her mind that had he not thoroughly taken advantage of the free drinks throughout the duration of the evening, then he would have picked up on her stuttered words and darting eyes and blushing cheeks at lightning speed. He still narrowed his eyes at her though, and Anna worried for a moment that maybe he was on to her, and _god,_ that would be so _mortifying;_ being called out on some silly crush on a man she had seen once.

Anna held her breath for a good few seconds before Olaf’s gaze softened suddenly, and he shrugged his shoulders casually before he sat back in his seat. As he moved, Anna let out the breath that she had been holding, not wanting to draw any further attention to herself. 

“Sure, I guess so,” Olaf said in answer to her question, and Anna nodded her head slightly, attempting to appear distracted, or disinterested, or both. 

Her friend turned his head to one side and began scanning the crowd casually.

“Except for – huh,” he frowned, and Anna stopped sipping on her drink as he moved to sit further upright against the booth. “That’s... _odd_ ,” he said, focusing his eyes on something in the crowd.

Anna frowned, too, and she followed his gaze.

“What is it?” she asked him, struggling to see who - or what - it was that had caught Olaf’s attention, though it was near impossible to see anyone or anything of much significance in the large crowd of people. 

“Well,” Olaf said, clearing his throat slightly. “I was actually just going to say to you that Bjorgman never shows up to these kind of things, but -”

But there he was.

As soon as his name fell from Olaf’s lips, Anna caught sight of him, and her heart skipped rhythmically within her chest at the sight of the top of his head bobbing above the crowd. 

Her light eyes darted around everywhere, and she didn’t miss the fact that quite a few people were staring at him rather incredulously. Olaf _had_ just told her that he never came to the after-parties, and she’d always had a rather wild imagination; and she found herself fighting back a grin as she began to wonder why on earth he would choose to come to the after-party _tonight,_ of all nights. 

She thought of that moment at the end of his fight; thought about the intense look in his eyes as he caught sight of her and didn’t look away, thought of the electricity that bubbled between them even over the crowd, thought about whether he would have felt it too, whether - 

_Pathetic_.

His face didn’t come to mind, but she could almost hear the scornful disgust in his tone of voice, so clear in her mind - almost like he was stood right there, spitting the words into her ear. Anna attempted to push it away, determined to ignore his presence in her head as best that she could -

But deep down, she knew Hans wasn’t wrong. She was being ridiculous - as always - getting carried away with herself, naively entertaining the idea like a man like _him_ would have any interest in _her._

 _Who knows,_ the voice said, taunting her. _Maybe you’re right. Maybe he is here for you._

 _Maybe you lured him here with that god-awful_ desperate _aroma of yours._

Anna inhaled sharply and almost knocked over the drink that she had been holding close to her chest as she attempted to straighten her body. The sudden, jerky movement caught the attention of Olaf as well as Honeymaren and Elsa, and the three all looked equally concerned as they regarded her.

Anna’s heart began to pound - it no longer skipped happily in the way that it had done when she first caught sight of him - and Elsa scooted over in the booth so that she was sat ever so closer to her younger sister. The blonde reached out one of her cool, pale hands and placed it upon Anna’s bare shoulder; but the contact made the redhead wince, and she jerked away from the contact.

The gesture had meant to be calming, to be _comforting_ \- deep down, Anna knew that, could rationalise it even in this state of mind – but in that moment, all that Elsa’s touch did was stifle her.

Anna moved her body further around the booth and pushed herself into a standing position, suddenly feeling so trapped in this crowded space with far too many people and too-loud music and -

“Anna? Are you okay?” Elsa asked, moving as if to follow her; but Anna nodded her head up and down and took one step backwards, peering slightly over her shoulder to make sure that nobody was directly behind her to bump into. The last thing that she needed to do right now was make the situation ten times worse by knocking someone over.

“I - I’m _fine_ ,” Anna said, jutting her chin out in a feeble attempt to look anything but weak. “I just – just need some... some air,” she said, mainly to herself, and her eyes scanned the room in an attempt to find the exit. “I’ll be back in one minute.”

And with that, she hurried off; not even bothering to glance over her shoulder as her sister’s voice called out behind her - _Anna, wait!_ \- or to slow down as she practically ploughed through the crowd of people. The green ‘exit’ sign shone bright and clear and practically called to her from the opposite side of the room, and she felt so much better as soon as she stepped out into the cool, night air.

The after-party had been so busy, so full of people and noise; but it was so quiet and calm and peaceful outside that even after just a few seconds of standing here, it was easy to forget where she actually was. Anna’s chest rose and fell quickly as she gasped for breath, struggling to steady herself; but she pressed her back against the brick wall – her bare shoulders scratching against the rough brick in a way that was uncomfortable yet grounding all at once – and looked up at the starry, dark sky, willing herself to just _breathe_.

And breathe she did.

It took a minute or two for her breathing to return to normal, but long after she had managed to calm herself down, she continued to stare up at the sky, lost in its beauty. Her eyes were wide and bright and full of so many questions as she gazed up, the back of her head resting against the cool brick. 

Anna had completely lost track of time, and she suddenly became aware of the goosebumps that covered her bare legs from where the deep purple dress reached her mid-thigh. Subconsciously, the redhead rubbed her legs together in an attempt to warm herself slightly; and despite the chill that danced through the air, Anna couldn’t find it within her to want to go back inside. Not just yet.

.

.

.

Not long afterwards – when Anna was still looking up at the sky, playing with one of her long strands of hair – the sound of the exit door opening towards her jostled her from her thoughts, but she didn’t bother to glance over her shoulder to see who it was. 

She already knew.

The redhead listened to her sister’s footsteps step towards her tentatively, and Anna let out a gentle sigh when she noticed that Elsa had suddenly stopped moving. No doubt she was quite the sight – wearing very little in the cold night air, leaning against the wall, her eyes full of nothing but stars.

“Elsa,” Anna sighed, her brows furrowing together. “Look, I’m sorry for running off. I just -” Anna moved to turn towards her sister, and a small gasp escaped her lips when she opened her eyes. “ _Oh_ ,” she breathed, her hand frozen mid-air, a strand of her auburn hair twirled loosely around one of her fingers. 

Her eyes roamed over the man standing just a few feet away from her, and her heart skipped happily once more at the sight of him. 

“You... you’re not Elsa.”

He certainly wasn’t Elsa, and boy, was he _huge_ \- far taller than she had originally thought him to be, and broader, too.

“Um,” he mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck, dark eyes dancing towards the exit door as though he wished he could just disappear behind it once again. 

Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her – or maybe it was the cold night air – but Anna could have sworn that there was a dusting of pink across his cheeks. The man wasn’t close to her by any means, but he was close enough that she could see the outline of freckles that were sprinkled there.

Standing before her, this tall, broad, strong man suddenly seemed so – well, _awkward_. 

It was something that she would have never imagined he could be when she saw him fight in the ring just a few hours ago. She had watched him literally knock someone out with _one punch_ \- sent them tumbling to the ground quicker than she had ever seen anyone fall – with such grace that he almost made it look beautiful.

And now, here he was; standing before her, plain little Anna 

– and he was _awkward_.

He shook his head, and Anna watched the way his messy blonde locks danced across his forehead. 

“No, no – I'm, erm. I’m not Elsa. So, I – well, I should probably be going back in there,” he said, gesturing vaguely towards the door that would essentially be his escape route away from her and back into the party. He shuffled backwards ever so slightly, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides, almost like he didn’t know quite what to do with them. “So... I’ll just -”

“Wait!” Anna said, the word falling out of her mouth before she could stop herself, and she almost cringed at how _desperate_ she must sound to him. 

She blushed furiously in response to the surprised expression on his face, and Anna cleared her throat and attempted to compose herself. She released the strand of hair that she had been twirling around her finger and used the palms of both of her hands in order to push herself away from the brick wall, standing upright. 

“I mean – you don’t have to go. I don’t want to – well, what I mean is, don’t let me stop you. From... you know. Whatever it is that you wanted to do out here.”

His eyebrows furrowed slightly at her words, clearly confused by what she meant, and Anna blushed impossibly deeper.

“Not that I’m saying you _wanted_ to do anything out here, of course!” she practically squealed before he could open his mouth to say another word to her, and the man looked even more confused than he had done before. _Great_. “Just that – I mean, well, it’s such a lovely night, isn’t it? And I love coming out here, looking at the stars. It helps when I – when I – well, when it all gets... a bit much,” she breathed, her eyes looking up at the sky as she whittled on. When she realised what she had said, Anna’s light eyes snapped right back to his once more. “Not that I’m complaining, of course,” she added casually, hoping that her tone sounded much more confident and convincing than she felt it did. “Everything is absolutely fine.”

The man stared at her, clearly uncertain; his eyes wide, brows creased ever so slightly as he looked over at her, and Anna felt like such a _fool_. No doubt her face was the same colour as her hair by now, and it was silent between them for a beat, and then two; and she was just about to open her mouth to fill the silence once more before he spoke.

“Yeah. Um... Glad to hear it,” he said, and Anna could tell by his tone that he was uncomfortable. The exact opposite of what she had wanted him to be.

Another beat or two of silence passed between them, and Anna’s shoulders sagged slightly as she exhaled. She supposed it couldn’t get any more awkward between them, and so she decided to introduce herself.

“I’m Anna, by the way,” she said, and she stepped closer to him – only ever so slightly, so that she could stretch out her hand to his. “Anna Arendelle.”

If her name meant anything at all to him, then it didn’t show on his face. For a moment, he just stared at her outstretched hand as if he had no idea what to do with it. His mouth twisted – almost as if he was _grimacing_ at the thought of touching her, and Anna was overcome with embarrassment at the thought – but then the next thing she knew, his large palm was pressed against hers, and he shook her hand once.

“I’m-”

“I know who you are,” she interrupted, excitement and adrenaline bubbling up within her. 

His fair eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and if she wouldn’t have been paying close attention to him, then she would have missed the movement entirely.

“You’re Christopher Bjorgman,” she grinned, and he blinked at her, his expression blank. “I watched you fight earlier this evening,” she explained, and he released his hand from hers as she spoke.

“Oh, really?” he asked, and she nodded, smiling her sweetest smile up at him. The butterflies in her stomach did nothing to help calm her, and she suddenly felt so inexplicably giddy “That’s nice,” he commented. “And actually, it’s Kristoff.”

The butterflies in her stomach were almost instantly replaced with nausea, and the blonde must have noticed the way in which her smile faltered, for his own softened dramatically. 

“Hey,” he said, his voice gentle in a way that Anna hadn’t expected it could be, and she could have sworn he shuffled towards her ever so slightly. “I - I was just kidding. I mean, I wasn’t kidding. My name _is_ Kristoff. But it’s fine, it’s an easy mistake to make. Don’t worry about it.”

Anna looked back up at him - her neck craned slightly as a result of his height and their proximity - and she found new warmth in his dark eyes as he blinked down at her. A part of her wanted to reach up and place her hands on his cheeks – she wondered how soft his skin would feel beneath her palm, if it would feel soft at all. 

Kristoff cleared his throat and simultaneously cleared Anna from her thoughts. She blinked up at him, a soft smile still dancing across her lips.

“Well,” he said, stepping backwards to put some more distance between them. He turned around once again to look at the door that led back into the party, and Anna could sense what was coming next. “I really should be heading back. I, er -”

“I heard parties aren’t really your thing,” Anna commented, although she didn’t know why the words came tumbling out of her mouth, and she felt herself furiously blush once they had escaped her lips. 

His brows quirked again, and she felt slightly more confident around him – enough to keep smiling, anyway. She hoped that the look in her eyes was playful, hoped that he could sense she was teasing him - _god_ , she hoped he knew that she was attempting to flirt with him.

He chuckled.

“You got me,” he said, and Anna giggled mischievously. 

His expression softened even more, and Anna practically swooned from where she was stood gazing up at him.

“So, tell me - what was it that made you come to this one?” she asked, feeling brave; and she wondered if she was a little tipsy from the strawberry daiquiri after all. 

Kristoff’s eyes widened at her question, and Anna couldn’t help but get the feeling that perhaps her earlier theory that she had so easily dismissed had been right all along.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words escaped him, and Anna’s heart raced faster in her chest. Out of nowhere, a cool breeze drifted over them, and Anna shivered harshly despite herself. Standing out here wearing nothing more than a short purple dress and laced heels, she hadn’t realised just how cold it had gotten – although in her defense, she had been kind of distracted.

Kristoff frowned at her once more, his mouth turned downwards.

“Are you cold?” he asked, and Anna nodded slightly. It wasn’t as though she could deny it – her body had given her away entirely, goosebumps prickling over every inch of her bare arms and legs. “Come on,” he said, nodding his head in the direction of the door, his hair bouncing with the movement in a way that was incredibly distracting. “We should probably both get back inside, where it’s warm. Besides – won't Elsa be looking for you?”

Anna had moved towards him in order to follow his instructions, but then she froze in place and frowned at his words, suddenly feeling suspicious. 

“How do you know Elsa?” she asked, her tone wary; and Kristoff raised one eyebrow at her, his jaw tightening ever so slightly.

“Erm - you kind of called me Elsa?” he said, and Anna remembered almost instantly that she had indeed assumed that he was her older sister when he first came out onto the terrace. 

The redhead giggled at his confused expression, but when he didn’t laugh with her – his mouth set into a hard, firm line – she had an inexplicable feeling that Kristoff was unsure as to whether she was laughing at him, or with him.

Anna attempted to soften her expression in a way that would hopefully keep her smile bright and light, and she wondered if he could read her well despite not knowing her at all. “Sorry,” she breathed, giggling again. “I have the worst memory.”

His eyes roamed her face, flickering between her light eyes and her smiling mouth, and after a few beats of silence, Kristoff offered her a small smile of his own.

That was it. Anna was well and truly done for.

She opened her mouth to speak again – although she had no idea of what she was about to say – when the exit door creaked open, and a concerned looking Elsa stepped out from behind it. Anna looked right at her sister, and Kristoff turned his head so that he was looking at her, too. His eyes flickered between the two sisters for a moment, and Anna wondered if there was any sense of familiarity there when he looked at Elsa, but once again, his expression gave nothing away if he truly did recognise her.

Elsa breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled softly. “Anna,” she breathed. “There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you.”

Anna didn’t seem able to focus on either Elsa or Kristoff, and so her own light eyes jumped between the two of them. Neither said a word for a long moment, and Elsa’s brow furrowed ever so slightly – the look on her face screaming _what on earth is going on?_ \- and then Kristoff cleared his throat once more. He smiled softly at Anna, looking almost apologetic.

“Well,” he said, “it was nice to meet you, Anna. I – erm. I’ll see you around.”

Before Anna could even process what he had said to her, the tall blonde had moved from where he had been standing relatively close to her. He side-stepped Elsa so as to get around the door, and after just a few seconds, he was gone.

The sisters watched him walk back into the party, and neither of them moved for a long moment once the door closed behind him. A couple of seconds of silence passed between them, and then another gust of wind picked up. Anna shivered involuntarily, and although Elsa didn’t bother to react to the wind – the cold had never bothered her like it did her younger sister – she turned around to lock eyes with Anna.

The redhead smiled innocently, but Elsa narrowed her eyes in a way that was suspicious and playful all at once.

“Anna,” she said, laughter dancing in her voice. “Who on earth was _that_?”


	3. Chapter 3

Anna _had_ to see him again.

It wasn’t a question of whether, but _how_ \- after all, it wasn’t common for her to frequent the same functions often, and she had never really had much interest in anything physical or sporty before. The last thing that she wanted to do was look like some kind of crazy stalker, especially since she was pretty sure that she had spooked him at least a little bit when they spoke at the after-party. He had hurried away from the sisters without much hesitation and had almost shrunk inwardly when Elsa appeared; and although he had been slightly more confident when it had been just the two of them for those short, few minutes, Anna still had the overwhelming feeling that he was somewhat shy.

And she just _had_ to see him again.

There was also the fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about him – even when she tried her very hardest to concentrate on something, the thought of him soon crept up on her and she wasn’t able to stop it. It was all very silly, she knew – she didn’t even _know_ this man. Shaking hands and learning someone’s name didn’t make you friends, and she began to question whether they were even acquaintances; and whilst she had almost felt confident on the night in question that he had come to that after-party to seek her out, once she learned of his more introverted nature, she wasn’t so certain anymore.

He had been all wide-eyed and nervous when he had seen her on the terrace, and Anna had never known a man to behave so distantly when he was seeking out a woman.

Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, and it was becoming a minor inconvenience for her. Throughout the week, she pictured him often in her mind; wondering what he liked to do, who his family were, where he lived. 

She had googled him several times - _research,_ she told herself; completely necessary, absolutely essential research. Kind of like a background check, really, because she was a _princess_ after all, and this was need-to-know information -

But Olaf had already told her that Kristoff was more of an up-and-coming fighter than anything else, and there didn’t seem to be an awful lot of information out there about him for her to read through. 

There were pictures, though. Boy, were there pictures – and videos, too, although her cheeks burned crimson at the thought of watching them, so she hadn’t done so yet.

He filled her subconscious throughout the week, and he overwhelmed her dreams each night. Every morning, all she could recall was dreams of him; of his broad chest and large hands, of his palms not concealed in boxing gloves but free to wrap themselves firmly around her hips and her thighs and -

Anna’s eyes startled open at the sound of the dressing room door opening. She was perched upon the soft velvet pink stool in front of her dressing table, and she had been absent-mindedly brushing her auburn hair whilst humming softly. She was obsessed with the new Taylor Swift album that had dropped during the summer, and she hadn’t been able to stop singing almost everything from it recently.

Her light eyes connected with her mother’s in the large mirror on top of her dressing table, and the two women smiled fondly at each other. As the older woman approached, Anna wondered – not for the first time – how she managed to look so regal when she moved. It was a skill that her sister had mastered, too, but Anna had never quite gotten the hang of it.

“You seem to be in good spirits,” her mother commented, and Anna willed her cheeks not to blush. 

“I do?” she responded in a nonchalant tone, placing the hairbrush down onto the vanity as her mother continued to move closer until she stood directly behind her. 

The mirror was tall enough that Anna could still see her, and the Queen began to run her fingers through her daughter’s hair, a soft smile on her face the whole time.

“Anna,” she said, a light chuckle in her voice. “You would tell me if something was... going on, wouldn’t you?”

Anna’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the question, and she gazed up at her mother through the glass. The redhead willed herself to nod, to spread an unphased smile across her face, to roll her eyes playfully and reassure the older woman that of course she would tell her if there was something _going on_ \- whatever that even meant.

But Anna couldn’t do it.

The young woman had never been all that good at lying or concealing what she thought, or how she felt. It just wasn’t _her_ \- throughout her life, many people had commented on the fact that she was very much an open book: easy to read, to understand. 

It was something that Anna had grown to like about herself. She valued her own honesty and genuine nature, confident that it was one aspect that she wouldn’t change about herself, even if she had the opportunity to do so.

She opened her mouth to speak – to laugh, to shrug her shoulders and tell her mother that everything was fine - but the words didn’t come. A small but noticeable crease appeared between her mother’s brows, and the Queen moved; dragging a nearby stool across the wooden floor so that she could perch upon it and be close to her youngest daughter.

“Everything’s fine,” Anna blurted suddenly, wanting to be certain that her mother knew that she was okay. “Really, it is. I – it’s a little ridiculous, honestly.”

Her mother didn’t say anything, though; and sat silently, patiently, a soft smile on her face that encouraged Anna to continue. The redhead let out a small sigh before she proceeded.

“I - well, I met someone.” 

She waited for her mother’s face to fall, for the older woman to gasp and frown, to jump up from where she was perched on the stool and clench her fists and be _furious_ \- but that didn’t come. Instead, the Queen remained perfectly still, the soft smile still resting on her face. Her eyes were soft and kind and familiar, and Anna swallowed thickly, feeling a little silly for believing that her mother would cause a fuss.

“The other night. We – well, Elsa and I went to watch a... well, a boxing match. It wasn’t just one match, though, there were quite a few fights – but Olaf says that that’s normal, that’s how they, you know, do things. Or whatever. Anyway. It sounds crazy, but there was this _man_ -”

“A boxer?” her mother asked, the soft smile on her face twisting into more of a knowing smirk, and Anna eyed her mother suspiciously.

“Well, _yes_ ,” she breathed, her eyes narrowed. “How did you know?”

The Queen shook her head slightly. “Just a lucky guess,” she responded.

“Oh,” Anna said, and although there was a small part of her that wondered over whether her mother was really telling the truth, she chose to ignore it and continued with her story. “So, there was this... boxer. And he was so _handsome_ – you should have seen him. He’s so _tall_ and strong, and his _muscles,_ I -” 

Iduna laughed softly, and Anna felt a grin spreading across her face as she continued to describe Kristoff.

She took the liberty of sparing her mother _some_ of the details, though.

“Anyway,” she continued. “He found me later in the evening – at the after-party. At first, I thought that he might have been looking for me. Which I know sounds _totally_ crazy, but Olaf said that he never goes to them, and then - well, there he was, the same night that I was. And I thought at first that maybe he kind of - I don’t know. Maybe he tracked me down on purpose. But the more I think about it, he was so nervous and unsure and... kind of _shy_.” 

Anna paused for a moment as she processed her thoughts. It felt so good to say this out loud to someone – to not just hold it all inside like she had been doing for the past six days.

“So now that I think about it, he probably wasn’t looking for me at all. I don’t even think that he particularly wanted to speak to me, really – but it was nice, anyway. We didn’t really get past the introductions before Elsa found me and it was like he had this golden ticket to leave, so he did. But...” she groaned, blushing furiously as her mother continued to smile softly at her. “I felt something. A _connection_.” She giggled and shook her head. “I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”

Her mother scooted ever so slightly closer to her so that she could tuck a stray piece of auburn hair behind Anna’s ear. “Not at all,” she smiled, her voice gentle and genuine. Her hand came to rest over Anna’s and she squeezed it lightly. “Sometimes, you just know. All that it took was one look at your father, and I knew there and then that he was the man for me.”

The Queen’s words were initially comforting, but they reminded her of thoughts from several months ago. She had been convinced that Hans was perfect; had it in her head that she was going to marry him, and that they’d have this fairy-tale, happily-ever-after that she had always dreamed of -

“Anna,” her mother said, breaking her tumbling train of thought. The two women looked at each other for a long moment before the Queen smiled again. “You don’t know just how nice it is to see you really smiling again. To hear you singing. And it’s like music to my ears to hear that you’re even just _thinking_ about - about someone _else_.”

Her mother made a valid point, and now that she thought about it, Anna supposed that it was rather nice to have not really thought much about Hans over the last few days; and she hadn’t even realised that his voice hadn’t been hissing down her ear because a new voice had replaced it. 

A soft, gentle but strong voice; a deep voice that practically rumbled and caused her to blush. The way that her name had rolled from her tongue had been so _dreamy_ , and she felt her heart skip again at the memory.

“But Anna,” her mother continued, breaking her from her train of thought once again. The Queen looked at her youngest daughter sincerely. “I just - I just want you to be _careful_ , okay? For your own sake. Nobody wants to see you... like that again.”

 _Heartbroken_ , Anna thought. _Nobody wants to see me a heartbroken mess again._

“You don’t need to worry,” Anna smiled, shaking her head softly. “I... I barely even know anything at all about him. Well, except from his name. I’m not even sure that he knows who I am, and geez – how awkward is _that?_ Besides, I’m not even sure that I’ll even see him again, so maybe I...” she trailed off at the sight of her mother’s knowing smirk, one of her dark brows quirked slightly in a way that reminded her so very much of Elsa. 

Anna giggled slightly, glancing down at her lap as her cheeks turned a shade of crimson. The redhead raised her head slightly, biting her lower lip as she looked up at her mother through her eyelashes. 

“Do you want me to show you a picture of him?” she asked, and both women laughed as Anna reached out for her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to try and focus on the relationship between Anna and Iduna here. Since her parents are still alive in this story, I really wanted to give them a good, solid, trusting relationship (on the most part), and also hopefully give an insight into the fact that after her nightmare break-up with the man that everyone had assumed would be perfect, her family now just want her to be happy, whoever that might be with.


	4. Chapter 4

Anna doesn’t get the opportunity to see Kristoff as soon as she would like to. Unfortunately, life seems to have a funny way of getting in the way of these things - not that she was really counting this as a _thing_ \- and ever since her cousin in England had caused quite the media scandal by announcing that he was giving up his role in the royal family and moving to the USA with his wife and their son, the princesses had been instructed to lie low and be on their best behaviour. 

_Duty over everything._

Those three words frustrated her to no end, and Anna was bored out of her mind. She knew that it mostly boiled down to the fact that there wasn’t an awful lot going on around her that could easily distract her or keep her mind busy, nothing entertaining or amusing happening in the world around her; but still, as days of lying low turned into weeks, Anna found herself thinking of the boxer more often than not. 

There had been no opportunities for evenings out with her sister since all of the uproar in England, and their father had stressed the importance of keeping media attention away from themselves over the upcoming weeks in order to draw as little scrutiny on the monarchy as possible. Anna mostly understood his reasoning, though she still found it to be rather frustrating and unfair, and despite the fact that this was the twenty-first century, she found herself daydreaming about Prince Charming storming through the palace doors and whisking her away into a life of normality. 

Well, maybe not Prince Charming, per se: a tall, blonde, handsome boxer would more than do the trick.

Kristoff had a frustratingly low profile of his own when it came to social media, and Anna had resorted to setting up an alert on her phone to notify her whenever any news articles with his name in the title were published. She was mortified at the fact that she had done it - her cheeks had burned furiously the whole time - but she had decided that it was probably a more practical option than regularly refreshing google searches to see whether there was any new information about him. 

Her mother hadn’t spoken of Kristoff since their conversation three weeks prior, and Anna appreciated the distance. She’d always been rather terrible at keeping secrets, which in turn had caused her to get into trouble more times than she had cared to count; but this thing - that wasn’t really a thing - was all so fresh and new and _pure_ and - 

\- and non-existent. 

So, rather than admit defeat - or insanity - Anna holds thoughts of him tightly to her chest, allows them to comfort her in the privacy of her mind, and she doesn’t speak his name out loud again. 

That night at dinner, Anna’s phone bleeped loudly from where it had been casually placed next to her bowl of soup. Whilst it’s more than frowned upon to have her phone at the dinner table, so long as it’s just the four of them – her parents, Elsa and herself – then it’s an unspoken rule that it’s alright.

Anna peered over at the phone in order to sneak a casual glance at the brightly lit screen, though her eyes widened dramatically when she noticed his name spelt out in capital letters as part of a headline.

Anna almost choked on her soup as her sister leaned over from where she was sitting beside her to sneak a curious glance at the screen. The redhead was faster, though, and she scrambled to reach for the device before Elsa could read the headline. She pressed the button at the side of the phone in order to turn the screen blank and then practically threw the device onto the empty chair towards her left.

Elsa’s brows quirked in suspicion, and the look in her cool blue eyes screamed _what the hell was that?_ , but then Anna is saved from Elsa’s scrutiny by their father as he asks his eldest daughter a question, and her shoulders practically sag in relief at the distraction. 

She feels like sprinting at her father and peppering thankful kisses onto his cheek, but she contains her gratitude - he wouldn’t understand – and once she was satisfied that the incident had been forgotten, she reached out for her phone and chanced a read of the offending headline.

_Undefeated rookie Bjorgman signs record-breaking contract with Boxing giants._

.

.

.

“Okay,” Anna breathed at her reflection in the floor-length mirror, her light blue eyes scanning over each detail of her outfit. 

She had opted for an emerald green dress that complimented her auburn hair perfectly with lace detail over the shoulders and arms. It was perfectly tailored to her figure, clinching her waist and softly accentuating her small breasts, and she paired it with matching heels that had cute little butterfly wings at the very back. 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Anna found herself actually liking the appearance of the woman smiling back at her in the mirror, and she ran a hand through her soft waves before she finished the outfit off with one of the diamond necklaces that she had borrowed from the palace collection. 

“You’ve got this,” Anna breathed as she smoothed down the skirt of her dress. “You can _do_ this.”

Despite her miniature pep-talk, Anna couldn’t recall the last time that she felt so nervous about attending an event. Parties and sociable outings had always been things that came so naturally to her – much more than they did for Elsa, who had confided in Anna on several occasions about just how intimidating she found the act of socialising with strangers in crowded rooms - but tonight, it was Anna that felt nervous.

She knew that _he_ was the reason why, and she knew just how ridiculous that was. She never felt like this around anyone, and so she took the opportunity to repeatedly warn herself that she may not be presented with the opportunity to even look at him, never mind speak to him. 

Which _should_ be fine – it had been what she had wanted for weeks, hadn’t it, just a glimpse of him and nothing more – but now that the opportunity to do just that was almost upon her, the redhead found herself inevitably hoping - _wanting_ \- for more.

Her dainty hands trembled slightly, and Anna scolded herself for thinking like this about a man who, for all she knew, may not even remember her _face_ , never mind her name. She had over-analysed their conversation for weeks now, and for all that she knew, she could have just been nothing more than a slight interruption during his night.

The redhead cursed herself softly, frustrated at her inability to resist the temptation of checking who was named on the list to fight tonight. Kristoff’s attendance at the event would not have impacted upon her own considering that tonight's event had been organised for charity months in advance, and her attendance had been confirmed by palace aids weeks before she had even been informed about it. 

Despite the nerves, Anna had found herself almost giddy with the knowledge that he would be there, and she had even requested for her make-up to be applied by staff in order to ensure that she looked as presentable as possible.

The door to the dressing room opened carefully, and the sound of it creaking distracted Anna from her thoughts. The redhead jumped ever so slightly at the unexpected sound, but she grinned into the mirror at the sight of her older sister poking her head around the large, old doorway.

“There you are,” Elsa smiled, and her voice sounded ever so slightly breathless. 

Anna wondered how long she had been looking for her, and considered the thought of this room not being the first place that Elsa looked for her slightly odd. Ever since Elsa had re-opened her door and finally let Anna back into her life, the sisters had developed a routine of pretty much always getting ready for events together – in here. 

“Are you ready?” the blonde asked, interrupting Anna from her thoughts once again, and the younger of the two almost lost her balance due to the speed at which she turned around on her heels.

“I was born ready,” Anna grinned in response, and Elsa giggled slightly at her sister’s enthusiasm, shaking her head in amusement. 

Anna craned her neck so that she could turn around and steal a quick glance at herself from the back, and she squinted slightly at the reflection when she noticed Elsa step further into the dressing room, presenting Anna with the opportunity to really observe her outfit of choice for the evening.

It wasn’t as though Anna had meant to stare, but her jaw hung open as she turned back around to face her sister, and she practically gaped at the sight before her. Without meaning to, her blue eyes had widened dramatically, and sheer, genuine surprise danced across her features.

Elsa noticed the dramatic change in Anna’s expression and cringed slightly, misreading her sister’s surprise for dislike.

“Is it too much?” Elsa asked, her light blue eyes narrowing suspiciously at her younger sister. Anna was just too taken aback by the unfamiliar sight of her sister wearing a dress - and a pretty revealing one at that – that she couldn’t immediately respond, and Elsa physically cringed, stepping backwards as though she had been injured. 

The blonde shook her head lightly, her mouth twisting downwards. “I knew that it was too much,” she groaned, closing her eyes and bringing her hands up to rest upon her temple. “Do you mind waiting just two minutes for me whilst I get changed into something else? I already had a whole other outfit planned, so I'll-”

“No!” Anna interrupted – her voice louder than she originally intended for it to be – and Elsa clamped her mouth shut immediately, her lips forming a thin, straight line. “I mean – don't get changed. You don’t need to wear something else.” Anna noticed her sister looking uncertain, and so she continued. “Trust me, Elsa – you look - _woah_.”

The blonde stood before her younger sister in an ice-blue dress that fell to the floor, but it was fitted so tightly to her body that it accentuated her natural curves. A long, thin slit ran up to expose the pale skin of her left leg up to her mid-thigh, and the glitter covering the gown made it sparkle and shine so brightly. Elsa wore her long hair in a tumbling braid that suited her perfectly, and Anna couldn’t believe that this was her sister.

“Honeymaren’s going to love it,” she breathed, and Elsa let out a genuine laugh at her sister’s words.

“Anna!” she protested weakly; but the pink that spread across her cheeks gave her away, and she smiled faintly in amusement. “Come on – you said you were ready, and we’re already late.”

Elsa reached out to take Anna’s hand in her own, and the redhead rolled her eyes, glancing behind her to make sure that she had unplugged her hair curling tongs. 

“We’re always late!” Anna giggled as Elsa pulled her out into the hallway, but the older of the two simply shushed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Anna’s heart rate sped up ever so slightly with each passing fight, and she knew that it was due to the fact that slowly but surely, she was coming closer to seeing him.

The redhead couldn’t quite place a name on the emotions that she had been feeling in the build-up to his fight – thrill, excitement and nervousness all rolled into one – but she tried her best not to focus too much on that and distracted herself with conversations with Olaf, her sister, and Honeymaren. 

She reminded herself once again that it was unlikely that he would even remember her at all - which was fine, of course; more than fine, in fact, because it’s been over one month now since they first bumped into each other at the after-party, and that conversation might have felt as though it went on forever for her, but in reality, it had only lasted for a few minutes – maximum – before Elsa had interrupted them. Which, you know, was also fine.

 _So_ fine.

A part of her – the part that seemed to enjoy self-torture – had dared to imagine that he might be longing for her just as much as she longed for him, that he might be thinking of her often, wondering and over-analysing, just as she did. But Anna knew that he must have had women fawning all over him – not just because of how he looked, because, you know, _wow_ ; but female attention was bound to increase as his name became more well-known, especially after signing his record-breaking deal. 

It’s getting harder to remember the fact that they’re near enough strangers - barely acquaintances - especially considering everything that she’s learned about him through her online _research;_ and whilst Anna still found it too embarrassing to watch any of his videos, she had kept up to date with the results of his fights, and he still hadn’t lost a single one.

Kristoff’s new contract had caused quite the stir in the boxing world – nothing major, of course; it wasn’t as though his face had been plastered on the front page of the newspapers or anything - but more and more stories had begun to crop up since the signing, and the critics were impressed with him, too. 

Apparently, no rookie in the field had ever been offered so much money for their first ever contract.

Anna had no need to care for his financial situation. Naturally, the princess was well-supported financially – as most members of the monarchy are – and she had never wanted for much (if anything) in her life, so it wasn’t as though money was something that had ever needed to matter to her. She didn’t know much about where he came from – there was essentially no information about his childhood, other than the fact that he was born in a small village somewhere up north – but she had her assumptions that the money situation had probably been life-changing for him.

But whilst it didn’t matter to her, Anna’s mind wandered once more to all of the women that this kind of thing _did_ matter to. Some nights she had driven herself crazy just thinking about the attention that would no doubt be coming his way from tons of beautiful women now that he had well and truly made a name for himself, and she didn’t like the feeling that bubbled within her chest at the thought. 

She knew it wasn’t fair or reasonable for her to feel like this about a man she had met once. Besides, for all that she knew, Kristoff could have a long-term girlfriend – maybe even a wife (he was twenty five, after all) - that she didn’t know about. After all, it wasn’t as though the boxer had any social media accounts, so it was near impossible for her to gain a better insight into his world. 

Without warning, the lights in the arena dimmed; and the change in atmosphere caught the attention of the princess immediately. Olaf had been babbling on beside her, but he cut his story short, informing her that he would finish off his tale later when the fight had finished. Anna nodded her head once, but she felt incredibly guilty about the fact that she had completely zoned out and hadn’t actually been paying attention to a single word that he had said.

Before the redhead could overthink how much of a terrible friend she was being - all because of a _man_ \- a loud voice boomed over the microphone to introduce the next fighters.

Even after all of these weeks, Anna didn’t know much about boxing. She had tried reading a little into it, but it was difficult to sneak in searches without feeling absolutely mortified at herself. Even without much general knowledge about the sport, Anna knew that the fact that Kristoff was appearing in the final fight of the evening was a good thing. It meant that he was important, that his presence - his _name_ \- had brought spectators here.

Not Anna, though. Her duty had brought her here. Nothing else.

(She almost rolled her eyes at herself.)

As the tall blonde entered the ring, Anna became incredibly thankful for the dimmed lights. Her cheeks warmed at the sight of him; her eyes dancing over the expanse of exposed skin, and for a moment, Anna found herself daring to wonder what it would feel like to touch him. 

If her hands were to roam over his broad shoulders, down his muscular arms, would they feel smooth and soft? And if her hands were to wander down his chest and over the taught muscles of his stomach, would they feel hard and tense?

“You’re drooling.”

Elsa’s whispered voice caused Anna’s light blue eyes to widen dramatically, and although she was pretty sure that she wasn’t drooling – her sister had to be teasing her, she was even using that tone – her fingers still jerked up to touch her lips, just be certain that she wasn’t making an absolute fool of herself. When she found that her mouth and chin were perfectly dry, the redhead narrowed her eyes at her sister; though Elsa simply placed a hand over her own mouth in a poor attempt to stifle her laughter.

“ _Ha-ha,_ ” Anna whispered back to the blonde with a playful roll of her eyes, although she found it near impossible to resist the urge of her lips turning upwards in a smirk. “Did I ever tell you just how _funny_ you are?”

Elsa’s eyes practically twinkled in the dim light at her sister’s banter, and she grinned wickedly from where she sat. “You’ve never needed to - I've always known.”

Far too aware of the cameras – there were always cameras at charity events – Anna straightened her posture and returned her attention back on the ring, just like her sister, and the redhead’s eyes immediately danced over Kristoff once again. 

Her light eyes followed the men who fawned around the man who had been plaguing her thoughts and interrupting her dreams for weeks upon end. Anna watched intently as they poured water into his mouth, as they tightened his gloves and checked his headgear, as they slapped him on the back and murmured what she assumed would be words of encouragement into his ear. Really, the whole team was quite physical with him; always touching and tapping and adjusting, their hands upon him. And it wasn’t as though Kristoff seemed particularly hostile to them in general, but Anna was watching him closely, and she noticed the way his shoulders tensed when they placed their hands upon him so casually; and she wondered to herself whether he disliked the masses of attention that they gave to him.

Anna’s thoughts began to stray – as they so often did whenever he was involved – and she wondered how he might react if she stood before him as opposed to these men. If it was just the two of them, somewhere quiet and secluded and without an audience who cheered and shouted. 

If she were to run her palms over his large shoulders, if she were to gently squeeze the muscle there, would he stiffen, or would he relax into her touch and allow her to explore his body the way in which she longed to? 

If she was the one to bring a drink of water to his lips, would he accept it as half-heartedly as he did now; or would he look up at her through thick lashes and with smoldering, lust-filled eyes as he swallowed the clear fluid, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped greedily -

The sound of a bell ringing brought Anna back to reality for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. It signaled the start of the fight, and she focused her attention on Kristoff watching the way in which he stepped and bounced so lightly, as if he weighed nothing at all; and the way in which his arms swung so precisely through the air. 

Anna may not have been an expert on boxing, but she could recall the way the critics had written about how he never missed his target – whenever he hit, his movement had a purpose, and wherever he hit, it was where he had intended – and the princess thought that she was beginning to understand what they had meant.

Anna had never been athletically inclined. She wasn’t particularly good at jumping through the air, or at using a bat, or at throwing balls – or catching them, or kicking them, for that matter. In fact, anything relating to hand-eye coordination had never been one of her strongest points; and she supposed that as far as sports go, boxing was not a very princess-y one to show an interest in.

But watching him now as he practically danced around the ring, so light on his feet, so agile and accurate and strong, Anna thought that she might finally understand why people enjoyed boxing; why they purchased tickets to watch these matches and why they found it so thrilling in the first place.

Still - he was the only fighter who really attracted her interest, who actually made her whole body tingle with excitement; so perhaps her sudden interest in the sport had more to do with the toned, muscly blonde and less to do with any genuine passion for it.

Kristoff won, of course; and it felt as though the whole fight was over in no time at all, although she realised it had lasted slightly longer than the previous one that she had watched him participate in. Unable to prevent the wide grin from spreading across her face, Anna cheered heartily alongside Olaf as Kristoff raised his arm in victory; a small, proud smile resting on his lips.

Anna felt almost breathless as the audience whooped and screamed and cheered for him. Many of the spectators stood, and Anna almost jumped to her feet alongside them; but she held herself back. The presence of her sister – ever so regal and proper – often helped to remind her that she was a princess, and she was supposed to conduct herself in a certain manner. 

Despite the fact that she sat firmly in her seat, Anna stared directly at him; willing him to spare a glance her way – even if just in passing. However, the attention of those dark eyes never came her way, and instead, Kristoff was whisked away and distracted by the members of his team before Anna could even process what had happened.

Disappointment filled her chest at the sight of him exiting the ring, and Anna’s hands slowly stilled from where she had been clapping; coming to rest loosely in her lap, just as uncertain as the rest of her.

Completely oblivious to Anna’s inner conflict, Elsa continued to clap her hands together very casually – in a way that, as per usual, looked so regal – and grinned, though she kept her eyes looking straight ahead. 

“So,” the future queen murmured, leaning closer to her younger sister. “Who’s going to present him with his winner’s medal?”

.

.

.

In the end, it was Elsa who presented Kristoff with the medal.

Anna knew that she was being ridiculous, and childish, and all-round petty, but she didn’t care. Sulking and pouting and huffing and puffing didn’t even necessarily feel good – she much preferred to wear a smile – but she couldn’t bring herself to pretend anymore, couldn’t find it within her not to display her disappointment that he didn’t even spare a single glance her way; and although she recognised the fact that she was being a _little_ bit of a brat about the whole thing, it certainly didn’t stop her from continuing.

If Elsa had been overly suspicious regarding her behaviour, then she didn’t comment on it. 

The drink burned as it slipped down her throat, but Anna didn’t even wince at the unpleasant feeling, never mind shudder. She placed the shot glass down on the wooden worktop of the bar a little bit harder than she had originally intended to and groaned loudly, burying her face in her palms.

 _Why am I like this?_ she wondered. _Where did I even_ _come_ _from?_

“Rough night?” an oddly familiar, soothing voice asked, and Anna sensed him standing close by her. 

She sucked in a deep breath before she peeked through her fingers, not quite ready to believe that he was really there. She knew that it was impossible to get drunk _that_ quickly – especially when it had been her first alcoholic drink of the evening – but she still wondered whether the alcohol was sending her crazy.

The sight of him standing before her – right there, right in front of her, almost close enough for her to reach out and touch – sent tingles through her spine. Anna blinked slowly up at him as her hands fell from her face down into her lap, and even from this position – with her perched on the high bar stool and him stood ever so casually, leaning against the worktop – he made her feel so _small_ , and her cheeks warmed at the thought.

Kristoff had changed his outfit and was now dressed in a dark suit, which made sense – this was a black-tie event, after all; and she had a feeling that taking part in the title boxing match didn’t exclude him from that. She hadn’t realised that she had been staring at him – a little too dreamily, probably; but the way his mouth turned down suggested that he didn’t quite read her expression that way; and after a few beats of silence, Kristoff’s eyes began to dart around the room. 

The boxer pushed himself up from the worktop and cleared his throat, straightening his body as he did so.

He really was _so_ tall. 

“Um,” he started, looking uncertain and running one of his large palms through his still-damp hair. “Hey, I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said, and Anna frowned. “I just thought that-”

Somehow, Anna knew what he was about to say – at least, she thought that she knew, anyway. Anna had always prized herself on being able to read situations pretty well (apart from the whole evil ex-boyfriend thing), and she could read the confusion and embarrassment all over his face. 

Anna panicked and interrupted him, one of her arms half-reaching out towards him before she withdrew it just as fast.

“No!” she protested, her voice much louder than she had intended it to be, and the sight of his dark eyes widening caused her to be overcome with a sense of deja-vu from her earlier encounter with her sister in the dressing room. “Don’t go,” she began, and almost winced at how needy she sounded. “I mean – you don’t have to go. Unless you want to. I – I remember you. That’s what I meant to say. Kristoff, right?” she asked, smiling sweetly up at him; and although he eyed her carefully, the boxer seemed to relax at her words.

“Right,” he said, and there was a slight hint of laughter in his tone that made Anna’s smile grow impossibly wider. “I - I wasn’t sure if you would remember me -”

“What?” Anna practically shrieked in disbelief at his words, and although she physically cringed at the fact that she had interrupted him again, she was unable to stop the word-vomit from excessively pouring out of her mouth. “Of course I remember you! I mean, have you _seen_ you? How could I forget?” 

Anna noticed his eyes widen slightly at her words – and, if she wasn’t mistaken, the slightest hint of blush upon his cheeks – and she felt utterly mortified. 

“Oh, wow,” she breathed, shaking her head and glancing around the room quickly. “I’m sorry, I – that was awkward. I – I kind of have this habit, well, that is to say that I do this _thing_ where I just talk, and talk, and talk; and I don’t even really know what it is that I’m saying until I've said it, and I – I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel... uncomfortable, or anything -”

Kristoff let out a small laugh, and the sound distracted her enough to ensure that her mouth snapped firmly to a close, no more rambling words able to jump out of her without her consent. 

“It’s fine,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one of those large hands, and Anna really did try her best to concentrate on his face and not the way his suit jacket clung so tightly to his biceps when he moved. “You - er. You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.”

Anna practically swooned, her light eyes soft as she gazed up at him, and she smiled so wide like the head-over-heels fool that she wholeheartedly was. 

“Actually, it was your sister who sent me over here. To talk to you, I mean,” he finished, and the smile on her face faltered ever so slightly.

Anna blinked at him for a moment longer whilst she processed his words. 

“I - wow, really?” she asked, and she knew from her change in tone that Kristoff would more than likely pick up on her confusion. “Elsa sent you here. To – to talk to _me_?”

Now it was Kristoff’s turn to appear confused, and Anna noticed the way that his eyes danced around the room once more. She wondered if he was looking for an escape route – perhaps in the form of Elsa, just like the last time that they had been alone. “Um, yeah,” he said, his brows drawing together. “When she – you know. Gave me the medal.”

He looked almost bashful when he said that, stuttering over his words, and Anna wanted to know why. She had spent weeks upon weeks wondering so much about this man: what he liked, what he didn’t; how he spent his private time, what his favourite colour was; his best friends name, his favourite colour. She was desperate for answers to her questions, and was taken aback by just how much she wanted to know about him.

“She mentioned that you’re - you know, interested in the sport, so...”

The blonde trailed off, and Anna’s eyes widened in realisation at her sister’s plan. She bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically, grinning once more as she adapted to this new role and began to play along.

Truth be told, she was a little surprised - this was the last thing that she would have expected from Elsa, and Anna couldn’t wait to interrogate her about it later.

“Oh!” she gasped, still nodding her head excitedly. “Of course! Aww – that was so sweet of her to... to, erm, think of me. But yes, you’re right. Well, I mean, Elsa’s right. I have been looking into it all a bit more since we watched your match the other week. I mean, not just _your_ match, of course; all of those matches.” 

She took a breath, conscious of the fact that she was rambling; but funnily enough, he didn’t look irritated or annoyed – he looked almost amused, and it gave her the confidence to continue. 

“I’m afraid I still don’t know very much about boxing, though. Maybe – maybe you could answer some of my questions?”

Kristoff didn’t say anything immediately, but Anna’s smile grew impossibly wider as he pulled a stray barstool closer to where she was and perched himself upon it, resting an elbow upon the worktop. 

Whilst the position should have made him appear relaxed, Anna noticed the tension in his shoulders and his jaw, noticed the way his fist clenched lightly and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly; and despite his size, he didn’t seem intimidating at all – not to her, anyway – and Anna sensed that he was a little nervous.

That was okay. She was, too.

The way that his eyes scanned the full length of her – practically burned into her, in fact – made the princess blush from head to toe; but after a few beats of silence, Kristoff seemed to relax, his whole body easing from where it had previously been so tense. 

“Only if you let me buy you a drink, first,” he said in answer to her question, and Anna _beamed_.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna blushed for the whole of the car journey home, a gentle smile playing on her lips the entire time.

As was the norm for the majority of official events, the princesses had been chauffeured in separate cars. Elsa  _ always  _ arrived first – it was just the way that they had always done things, and although there was probably an elaborate reason for it, Anna had never thought to ask – and then Anna would follow, only ever arriving a few minutes behind. And whilst the future queen had made it  _ quite _ obvious to her younger sister that she wanted to know all of the details about Anna’s conversation with the handsome boxer, the redhead had grinned at the knowledge that her sister would have to be patient and wait until they arrived back at the palace.

For a while, it had been nice for Anna to have had a secret of her own; to have been able to hold thoughts of him close to her chest, to be able to hum softly and know that nobody else knew that she was thinking of him. It had been nice to daydream and allow herself to believe that there could be a world where it was just the two of them, him and her,  _ alone _ .

Anna wondered if Elsa had some kind of secret powers that she had been hiding from her that meant that she could read her mind, because she was quite confident that she hadn’t been  _ overly _ obvious about her attraction to the handsome fighter. The fact that there had been photographers present ready to capture their every move and update the media accordingly meant that Anna had gone out of her way to fight a smile during his fight and make sure that her face was neutral – bar his win, of course, because that would have caught people’s attention for being odd.

By the time that their cars had pulled up in front of the castle, it was almost one thirty in the morning; and almost everyone within the large building was fast asleep in their rooms. Funnily enough, Anna couldn’t seem to stay still; and although it had been a late night for her so far – plus the fact that she had woken reasonably early the day before – her entire body was  _ buzzing _ , tingling from head to toe with adrenaline and excitement.

Anna couldn’t wipe the hopelessly wide grin from her face, either; and she took to spinning around the middle of the large dressing room instead of removing her garments.

Elsa wasn’t quite so giddy, and the future queen had managed to change into a set of plain white cotton pyjamas, tie her hair into a neat bun that sat perfectly on the top of her head, remove all of her jewelry and make-up – whilst Anna had merely got so far as to kick off her heels.

“Oh, Elsa, he’s just so  _ wonderful _ ,” the redhead sighed dramatically, spinning around so that the skirt of her dress whizzed around her thighs. “And interesting. And smart. And  _ so _ handsome.”

Elsa made a point of rolling her large blue eyes from where she was perched upon one of the stools by her dressing table, but she still smiled affectionately at her sister. Anna didn’t even glance in her direction, though, and finally began to undress; although she continued to dance and float around the room in a dreamy – if not tipsy – manner.

“I’m glad that you’re not getting too far ahead of yourself with this one, Anna,” Elsa commented, and Anna’s whole body froze at her sister’s words; balancing on her tip-toes and emerald dress resting in her arms from where she had just pulled it over her head. 

Silence passed between them for what felt like an impossibly long few seconds before Anna finally fell back on the soles of her feet and looked over her shoulder at her sister. 

Elsa seemed to notice the fact that her comment had stung, and she grimaced apologetically. “I didn’t mean that,” she corrected, “Really, Anna, I didn’t. I was just teasing you. I really am glad that you’re happy.”

Anna bit down on her lower lip, turning her attention towards the fabric that was bunched up in her hands. “It’s OK, Elsa, honestly,” she said, shaking her head; although she didn’t look back up at her sister. “I -”

“Anna, I mean it,” Elsa insisted, cutting her off before she could say anything else. “I wouldn’t have sent him over to you if I didn’t - I don’t know,  _ like _ him. Or at least like the idea of him, anyway.”

Anna sighed softly, her fingers tracing over the lace pattern that made up the upper back of the dress. 

“He didn’t know that I was a princess,” she said, her voice quiet and soft and barely audible. 

The change in the mood within the dressing room was palpable, although Anna wished that it wouldn’t have been. She finally chanced a glance at her sister and noticed the slight frown on Elsa’s face. 

“I believe it, Elsa,” Anna said, her voice more confident now. “He - he really didn’t know.”

“Anna,” Elsa murmured, and she sounded  _ tired _ . “How could he not have known?”

This had been an issue before, of course – with Hans. Anna’s family – and several of her closest employees at the castle – had warned her that everything about him had seemed too perfect, too carefully put together, too  _ false _ . Anna didn’t tolerate any of their concerns – brushed some of it off as jealousy and the rest down to her family’s over-protective nature; but they had been right all along, of course.

All that Hans had wanted was a way into the royal family, and his original plan had been to initially use Anna to get closer to Elsa. But once he realised that Elsa would never have been interested in him, he changed plans and latched onto the younger princess. Their relationship may have only lasted for a mere few weeks, but the impact of it lived on even now, eight months later.

The distrust in her older sister’s eyes proved that.

Anna felt different about Kristoff, though – a  _ good _ different. 

“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “For all we know, he doesn’t care much for our family at all. After all, he did grow up in some random little village in the middle of nowhere up north -”

Elsa’s frown deepened. “He told you that?” she questioned, and Anna could hear the suspicion in her sister’s tone. 

Elsa was always over-cautious; always reading into things, looking for signs that people were untrustworthy or trying to manipulate her, and Anna sensed immediately that that’s what her sister thought right now - that she had been manipulated.

Anna rolled her eyes. 

“ _ No _ ,” she huffed, finally placing the dress down and reaching for her own baby pink nightdress. “If you must know, I googled him.  _ That’s _ how I know. And it makes sense that – you know, given from where he’s come from, I guess I can kind of assume the type of life that he’s had. It all seems kind of like new money to him... I don’t know. But it makes sense that he wouldn’t know that much about me. Or us. Or our whole family, actually.”

The redhead pulled the garment over her head before she sat down in front of her own dressing table. She rummaged through one of the top drawers before she found a half-full pack of face wipes and promptly began to rub off the layers of make-up that had been painted on her earlier that night.

“Besides,” Anna continued. “He’s so  _ genuine _ . He’s not some pomp, upper-class sleaze ball like... like  _ Hans _ .” 

It had been so long since Anna had said his name out loud, and the feel of it rolling from her tongue was unpleasant. She didn’t like the sensation, and she screwed up her nose in evidence of her disgust. 

“He’s just so – so down to earth, and normal; and kind of shy, too. He doesn’t seem over-confident, either; even though he looks like... well, like  _ him _ , which has to be a good sign, right?”

Elsa hummed slightly in response, a small smile tugging at her lips from where she sat across from her sister. 

“Right,” the blonde agreed, a hint of laughter twinkling in her voice, and Anna found the sound to be incredibly encouraging.

“Plus,” Anna said, her lips curving further upwards, “he gave me his number.”

.

.

.

_ You never mentioned that you were a princess. _

The memory of his words danced around in her mind, and the sound of his voice echoing in her head made her smile from where she was resting in her large bed, propping herself up slightly on one elbow. Anna squinted her eyes as she unlocked her phone and adjusted the brightness accordingly so that she wasn’t as dazzled by it in her darkened bedroom.

It was almost twenty past two in the morning, so Anna should have really been at least attempting to get some sleep; but Kristoff had given her his phone number -  _ that way,  _ he had said,  _ you can always call me or something if you still want to know anything else about the sport  _ \- and she was far too giddy to wait until the morning to reach out to him.

Anna found herself writing, deleting and re-writing the message several times, unsure of how to word it. 

Should she put a kiss - would that be too forward? What about a smiley face emoji, or did that just scream friend-zone? 

In the end, she settled for a simple  _ hey, Kristoff, it’s Anna!  _ and decided that it was the best she was going to come up with at this time in the morning. She pressed ‘send’ before she could question herself anymore, and practically squealed when it showed that he had read the message less than one minute later.

Three small dots in a speech bubble informed her that he was typing back; and Anna quickly locked her phone and squeezed her eyes shut in excitement. The princess didn’t even have her read receipts turned on, but her cheeks burned nonetheless; and her heart raced within her chest for reasons she understood as well as reasons that she didn’t. Anna felt very much like a hormonal teenager rather than the grown woman that she was, and she turned her face into her pillow to hide her huge grin when he responded shortly after.

_ Hey, Anna. _

She stared at the message for a moment, her grin not faltering, and her fingers hovered over the keyboard almost hesitantly as she thought about what exactly to respond to him. She wanted to ignite a conversation that naturally flowed – didn't want this to be the beginning and end of their communication – and she bit into her lip as an idea popped into her head.

The fact that he was still awake – even at this hour – had been confirmed by his prompt response to her message; and for all that Anna knew, he could still be at the event rather than at home. The pair of them had shared a couple of drinks together – nothing hardcore (she’d opted for a trusty daiquiri after her initial shot) - and maybe he had wanted to indulge in a few more with his management once she had left. After all, they had seemed pretty eager to talk to him, and she’d been able to feel their eyes burning into the back of her head the entire time that they had been chatting.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Anna pressed her thumb to the call button and brought her phone up to her ear. She inhaled sharply and held her breath as it dialed once, twice, three times; and she debated hanging up – cursing herself for being so ridiculous; why was she even calling him in the first place, he was going to think that she was  _ insane _ \- when a familiar voice spoke into her ear.

“Anna?”

_ God _ , she  _ loved _ the way that he said her name, the way that it rolled off his tongue so gently, with a tenderness she had never quite heard before. Anna released the breath that she had been holding and smiled softly, hoping that he wouldn’t be able to sense her nervousness.

_ Act normal _ , she told herself.

“Hi,” she said. “I - hi.”

“Is everything ok?” he asked, sounding worried; and Anna inwardly cursed herself.

What on earth was she  _ doing _ , calling him at this random hour of the morning? Sure, he had given her his number; but that didn’t mean that he was into her, did it – he was probably just being a nice person, and oh  _ no, _ she hadn’t even asked if he had a  _ girlfriend _ ; what if he did and she was there now, with him, wondering who this random girl was?

“I - yeah, everything’s fine, Kristoff. More than fine, actually. I’m sorry for bothering you, I know it’s super late-”

“It’s alright,” he said, cutting her off, and Anna let out a shaky breath at his casual reassurance. “You’re - you aren’t bothering me. I just got home, actually,” he informed her, and Anna smiled. 

How was it that he knew what to say to make her feel better already? This man barely knew her, but everything about him was just so  _ perfect _ .

The fact that he was a normal person who didn’t seem to actually  _ want _ anything from her for once in her life helped – plus, you know, the fact that he didn’t seem like a complete psychopath, either.

“Yeah?” she asked, the embarrassed blush that had crept up onto her cheeks fading by the second. “I got home about an hour ago, but, I -”

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, and Anna bit down on her lip as she rolled over in bed so that she was looking up at the ceiling, although she couldn’t quite focus on it. 

Instead, she imagined what it would be like if  _ he _ were here now with her; leaning over her so that she was staring up at him rather than the bland ceiling, or lay beside her so that she could roll over and burrow into his chest.

“Something like that,” she answered softly, twirling a piece of loose hair around one of her fingers in an attempt to focus on something other than the soft lull of his voice. 

There was something so tempting about him murmuring in her ear – even on the phone – that caused that blush to dance across her face once again.

A beat of silence passed between them. It wasn’t an awkward kind of silence, though; it was something a little more comfortable than that, and then Anna spoke once again. 

“It was really nice to meet you tonight. Properly meet you, I mean.”

Kristoff chuckled, and Anna practically  _ swooned _ for the tenth time that night. She was determined to drag that sound from his lips again and again.

A part of her wondered how he was able to affect her so much – after all, over the course of the last eight months, no man had so much as caught her attention enough for her to offer them a second glance. Everything was so  _ different _ with him, though; it was far too easy to get caught up in it all, but Anna found herself thinking that she was more than glad to go along for the ride.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “You, too.”

“So,” she breathed, clearing her throat slightly. “You’re fighting again next week, right?” 

The redhead already knew the answer – google had told her as much – but she hoped that she sounded casual all the same.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “It’s the peak of the season, so I pretty much fight every week. Train most days, too,” he added, although Anna wasn’t sure whether he was trying to say something without actually saying it to her, or whether he felt obliged to provide her with more information considering she was making an effort to talk to him.

At two-thirty in the morning, of all times.

“Wow - that’s a lot of commitment,” she murmured; and she wondered if he could read between lines, too, whether he over-analysed the things that she said to him to read into a deeper meaning, or whether he just took every little comment that slipped past her lips at face value. “Well - I was thinking. About you. I mean – not about  _ you _ , that would be weird, right? But about you, boxing. And I was thinking about maybe coming to watch again next week. If – if you wanted me to, that is.”

Kristoff chuckled once again, and despite cringing at the word-vomit that just incessantly poured out of her mouth whenever she interacted with him, Anna decided that she wouldn’t change a thing about herself if it meant that she got to hear that sound from him again. 

Thoughts of Hans didn’t come to her quite as often as they used to, but Anna knew that he had certainly never really found her all that funny, so it struck her as strange – a  _ good _ strange – that Kristoff at least seemed to.

“That would be... nice,” he commented, and Anna’s heart fluttered. 

She knew that she hadn’t imagined the fact that there was a connection between the two of them, but the build-up to this moment had felt as though it had gone on for an eternity, to the point where she wasn’t even sure that it was real. Anna had dreamed that he would have felt the same way towards her, of course; that he would have thought of her often and longed for her in a way that he couldn’t explain, but she had never actually dared to imagine that he would  _ actually _ feel that way about her.

Suddenly, Anna recalled an earlier question that had plagued her mind for many weeks now; and before she could stop herself or even pause to think of a tactful way to go about asking him -  _ damn those daiquiri’s, she knew that she shouldn’t have drank anything _ \- the words were tumbling out of her mouth.

“Kristoff - can I ask you something?” she said, sitting up on her elbows and pulling the covers along with her.

“Of course,” he answered immediately, and the lack of hesitation eased her nerves.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

There was a beat of silence, and then a noise – not quite a scoff, but not entirely dissimilar. 

“What? No!” he responded, and Anna didn’t think that he necessarily sounded as though he was  _ offended _ by her question, but there was something unfamiliar in his tone.

“Okay,” she said, dragging the word out. “And - you’re not married, either?”

This time, he laughed: genuinely laughed. A full, hearty laugh that practically  _ rumbled _ , and despite herself, Anna grinned at the sound. 

The whole of her body relaxed as she sank back down onto the mattress, dreamily looking up at her ceiling once again. A giggle escaped her lips, and she rolled her eyes – mostly at herself. 

“Do you think I'd be on the phone to you at this time in the morning if I was  _ married _ ?” he asked, turning the question onto her.

Unsure of where this sudden boost of confidence had come from, Anna near enough smirked. 

“Hm - that would depend  _ why _ you were on the phone to me at this time in the morning, wouldn’t it?” she sassed, not quite believing what she was saying.

“Because you called me,” he said simply.

“So, it’s that simple?” she asked, slowly playing with the ends of her hair. “I call, you answer?”

Anna was teasing him, of course; but for the second time that evening, she wondered if he was able to pick up on the array of messages that lingered in her words and her questions, whether he could read into what it was that she was asking him or saying to him without her actually having to say it. 

It wasn’t that she was being overly difficult or even that she expected him to be able to guess what she was thinking or feeling as much as it was that she wondered if he thought much into the things that she said.

“Yeah,” he said, his tone teasing, too. “Something like that.”

“Well,” she said, feeling slightly flustered. “I’ll - um – keep that in mind. I guess.” She giggled nervously and then yawned, bringing her hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the sound; but Kristoff heard anyway. “I should probably go,” she murmured, rubbing one of her eyes with the palm of her hand. “It’s pretty late.”

Kristoff hummed in agreement, although he sounded a little distracted. Anna thought that she heard keys jingling, and she wondered if he was in the process of locking up his house before he went to bed. 

It was an odd thing for her to think about – a task that was so simple, so easy, so mundane and just outright  _ normal _ ; but it was something that, as a princess, she had never had to do before.

She wondered what he would think of her -  _ how _ he would think of her – if she confessed that to him.

“Well,” he said, the sound of his voice stirring her from her negative, sleepy thoughts. “I’ll - uh - let you get going, then. Hopefully you’ll be able to sleep now.”

She thought then – quite randomly - about how his voice was so soothing, and Anna was almost tempted to tease him by asking him to sing her a lullaby.

“Hopefully,” she murmured, and yawned once more as she rolled over. “Well - goodnight, then, Kristoff,” she breathed, smiling as she said his name.

“Goodnight, Anna,” he said softly; and moments later, she was snoring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's about time that we had a look to see what Kristoff makes of all this - don't you agree? :)

The shrill sound of his alarm blaring loudly caused him to wake with a start, and Kristoff groaned into his pillow before he pressed firmly on the snooze button. It was still dark outside - his alarm had been set for six o’clock - and he was exhausted. 

His whole body ached in a way that he had soon grown accustomed to, but just because he was used to the feeling by now didn’t mean that he wanted to spritely jump straight out of bed. 

Kristoff had known last night that he should have turned in earlier, that he should have ignored the call and gone straight to sleep, but he hadn’t been able to help himself; and now, he would have to wake up, work out and deal with the consequences of answering his phone at random o’clock in the morning. 

It had kind of been worth it, though.

Five minutes passed by - though it felt more like five seconds - and then his alarm was blaring loudly once more. This time, Kristoff knew that he really did have to wake up before his coach came and dragged him out of bed - _literally._ Training started at six thirty, and the fact that he had won last night’s fight made no difference - he still had to get up and start to prepare for his next match.

With a yawn, Kristoff rolled over in bed so that he lay on his side, and just as he was about to bring the heels of his palms to rub at the back of his eyes, a big, wet nose was pressed against his own. 

The blonde didn’t so much as flinch at the intrusion - he was far too used to the greeting by now - and he protested with a weak groan.

“Sven,” he mumbled half-heartedly, his voice thick with sleep. “Get offa me.”

He batted one large hand at the rottweiler in order to brush him away, and whilst Sven whined - clearly unhappy - he obeyed. Still, the dog tactfully sat himself down as close to Kristoff’s bedside as he possibly could, and the blonde sighed as he peeked one of his dark eyes open. 

“I know, buddy,” he said as he reached out and scratched him behind the ears. “I’m up.”

He moved to push himself up and out of the bed and groaned at the sound of his back and neck cracking as he sat upright. Kristoff was no doctor, but he was pretty certain that it wasn’t normal for his body to be making those kinds of noises on a regular basis. 

He brought a hand up to his aching shoulder and rubbed at it half-heartedly for a moment. Last night’s fight hadn’t lasted that long, and in all honesty, the daily workouts were killing him more than the actual matches were.

The sound of Sven’s tail thumping against the carpeted floor caught Kristoff’s attention, and he sighed again as he threw the covers away from himself. 

“C’mon then,” he murmured, wiping the sleep from his eyes before he stood. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

.

.

.

Kristoff had been jumping rope for the past twenty five minutes, and whilst his calves were beginning to finally feel numb – which, surprisingly enough, wasn’t a relief compared to the feel of them burning – it still wasn’t enough to distract him from thoughts of _her_.

So far, nothing had seemed to be able to hold his attention long enough for his mind not to conjure up images of Anna; and now, it was starting to frustrate him. 

Not jogging or sprinting on the treadmill, not push-up or kick-flicks in front of the mirror, not mountain climbers or even going to town on the bag hanging in the corner: nothing was clearing his head.

He had opted to jump rope as a last resort – it always was, anyway, since it was his cool-off method of choice after an intense workout. If he had ever been worried or concerned about something, then the bag usually did the trick for him; but today, things seemed... _different_. 

In all fairness, Kristoff had never really had to worry about a woman like this before, so it wasn’t as if he was experienced in distracting himself from those kind of thoughts; but he had always figured that it wouldn’t be too difficult.

Evidently, he had been wrong.

Kristoff had planned to spend the full thirty minutes that his tight schedule allocated to jumping rope by counting out each individual jump, but he had lost count quite early on. She had been the reason for that, of course, and he huffed at himself as he continued to jump on the spot.

He was being stupid. So stupid. The woman was a _princess_ , for crying out loud; and he was anything but some pomp, posh, proper prince charming who knew how to treat women well – or even speak to them, for that matter. 

Kristoff had been trying his hardest to shrug her off, but she seemed insistent to linger in his mind; and it was too easy to be drawn in by her lure, particularly when he was - deep down - all too eager to think on about her wide blue eyes and her dazzling smile, about her copper hair and freckled cheeks.

It shouldn’t be like this, though: he shouldn’t be worried about some girl that he barely even knew, who he had met once – okay, _twice_ , but he’d decided that the first time didn’t really count. 

Kristoff needed to do what he had been doing before she came storming into his life: focus on his training and on his fights.

That was easier said than done, though, and whilst he tried to bury the memory of their conversation at the charity even the previous night, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. More to the point, he couldn’t help the way in which he physically cringed at the memories of all the embarrassing things that he had said to her -

 _Actually, it was your sister who sent me over here to talk to you_. Wow, what a way to make a woman feel _wanted_ ; what a way to make her see that you were looking for any excuse to come and talk to her as opposed to being forced to keep her company by the future queen.

 _Only if you let me buy you a drink, first_. Jeez, talk about your mixed signals. Anna probably thought that he was insane, if not a little creepy – who offers to buy a princess a drink, anyway?

 _You never mentioned that you were a princess_. He had been well and truly gob-smacked when she didn’t swoon and melt into a puddle on the floor right there in front of him with that line.

_Not._

He told himself that it was both hopeless and pointless to dwell on thoughts of her for too much longer, anyway; princess or not, Kristoff knew that he would have never stood the slightest chance with Anna either way. She was just too – too _her_ ; so gorgeous and funny and smart and charming, so unassuming and sweet and happy in a way that was, all-in-all, extraordinary -

\- and so very different from him.

Kristoff may not have been an expert in all things princess, but he didn’t need to be to know for a fact that they didn’t belong with a guy like him. For so much of his life, Kristoff had been nothing, nobody; just the weird, quiet kid who didn’t look a thing like his parents (or the rest of his family, for that matter) and who preferred hiking in the mountains, alone, to hanging out with the other kids. 

He had always been taller and broader and bigger than all of the other boys who were of a similar age to him, and for the longest time, his size and build had isolated him.

Even now, despite where it had got him in life, Kristoff was still uncomfortable in his own skin. It had always felt like he was too much: too large, too wide, too tall, too strong. 

Too wrong, in every way.

Not like her, though. Anna was the complete opposite with her small frame and tiny waist and little hands, with the top of her head coming up to his chin and her neck craning slightly so that she could smile up at him. Sitting so close to her by the bar last night had confirmed just how tiny she was, and Kristoff was pretty certain that he could easily snap her in two if he just squeezed her hard enough.

Not that there would be any reason for him to squeeze her, of course. Or touch her.

At all.

He could imagine the kind of men that Anna had no doubt been surrounded by for most of her life. They’d be similar to the ones who had isolated him in his youth; and the kind of damage that they had done to his psyche could never be completely reversed, no matter how many fights he won or how many trophies he collected.

The blonde cursed himself for what had to be the tenth time that morning and opted to push himself even harder for the last few minutes of his rope jump, increasing the speed at which it whirled around in his hands in an attempt for him to focus his attention upon how quickly he jumped rather than anything else. 

He tried to concentrate on the weight of the rope and the way that it felt as it rubbed against his palms. Kristoff knew that if he gripped the rough, uneven material hard enough, then it would be sure to leave behind small imprints and grazes on his skin as evidence of the way that it had worn against him.

Such marks on his skin would serve to be yet another reminder of why he was well and truly out of his mind for even entertaining thoughts of Anna.

It had been difficult enough before he had known anything at all about her. Since the first time that had spotted her sitting in the crowd, staring at him so intently – almost like she was burning through him – with wide-eyes and parted lips, he had been unable to shake her from his mind. He had attended that ridiculous after-party – something that he never did, as an unspoken rule – just so that he could catch one final glance at her. 

Somehow, he had ended up getting more than that. 

It had only been a quick conversation, really – although his reliable nature had made it as awkward as it possibly could be – but it had been more than enough to confirm what Kristoff already knew.

Anna was way out of his league, and it - whatever ‘ _it_ ’ even was – was never going to happen.

So, Kristoff had ploughed his mind of thoughts of her, cleared her out well and truly so that she couldn’t linger or lurk in his brain, and he made a conscious effort to focus on what he did best: boxing. 

And that had been working out quite well for him, in fact; and whilst he had been somewhat tempted to look her up online – after all, she had introduced herself with her full name – he fought the urge to learn new information about her. Whilst Kristoff could be a real sucker for self-torture when he wanted to be, he actively decided that he was not going to torment himself with her. 

Besides; he had no social media accounts and wasn’t intending to make any just so that he could keep tabs on a girl that he had met once.

That wasn’t _entirely_ true - his new management had set up a couple of pages and accounts on his behalf, since apparently, it was important to seem to authentically interact with fans and potential sponsors; although it wasn’t authentic at all, considering there was a whole team of social media people who choreographed perfect captions and responses.

As a result, Kristoff had kept all thoughts of Anna tucked into a secret place within his mind that he visited every now and then; when it came to whether it was to indulge or to torture himself, though, he was still undecided.

Alright, so maybe he had thought of Anna a little bit more often than every now and then, but he was hardly going to admit that – even to himself. He had never felt like this about anyone before; never pined or longed, never even really wanted hard enough that they interrupted his day-to-day life like this. And that had always been absolutely fine with him. It wasn’t as though Kristoff aimed to be alone forever; but for now, it was fine.

Besides, he had always had more important things to think about and focus on than meeting someone and settling himself down. Until now, Kristoff had been ticking off his plan: get into boxing - something that he’d dabbled in as a hobby since he was a kid but had never taken too seriously until more recently - earn some money, buy his ma a house and retire.

Realistically, all that he had wanted to do was take care of his mother. The aim had been to earn enough money so that he could make her life – hell, maybe even the rest of his family’s, if he was lucky – easier. He wanted to contribute to their cost of living, pay off the mortgage for them – maybe even buy a big house somewhere; one that didn’t have a leaky roof or a tap that constantly dripped or furniture bought from a thrift store that was close to collapsing.

Kristoff knew that his family didn’t feel as though he owed them anything. After his mother’s first and only pregnancy had ended with the loss of her baby, she had a void that desperately needed to be filled; and whilst she hadn’t wanted to fall pregnant again – she had been convinced that her heart wouldn’t be able to bare it – she went out in search of someone who had a void that needed to be filled, too.

That’s how she found him.

Kristoff had never thought that he would make it big. He had been confident in his capabilities, to a point, of course; and he had thought that he might be able to make a reasonable amount of money from the sport if he dedicated enough time and effort into himself. But he had never expected this; to have signed a record-breaking contract, to be offered sponsorship deals from huge companies, to have enough money in his bank account that he would never have to worry again.

He had been able to easily pay off not only his ma’s mortgage, but the rest of his family’s, too; and Kristoff was already planning on fixing up something better for them all. He’d even been able to buy himself a cabin of his own that wasn’t too far away, though he kept his apartment in the city, too; and whilst he had enough money to be able to buy himself a new car, he stuck with his reliable truck for the time being. 

Whilst he had never expected any of this, he still thought that the biggest surprise so far was Anna.

A repetitive bleeping sound and the sensation of his forearm vibrating snapped Kristoff out of his thoughts, and he jumped the rope three more times before he finished; letting out a long, hard breath as he opened his palms and released the material. He didn’t bother to look as it fell unceremoniously to the gym floor, but the sound disturbed Sven, who had been resting in the corner of the empty gym. The rottweiler wasted no time in coming over to investigate and sniffed at Kristoff’s hands, almost as if he knew exactly what his owner had been thinking.

“If I didn’t know you any better, then I'd say that something was bothering you,” a familiar voice echoed through the vast space of the gym. 

Kristoff blinked in surprise before he turned his body towards the entrance door, and although his mouth remained downturned, he nodded in acknowledgement at Oaken.

Oaken had been training Kristoff for what felt like forever, now; and whilst the two had had their fair share of bust-ups and disagreements, the tall, burly man was always there ready and waiting to train again as if nothing had ever happened. That’s what Kristoff liked best about him – he was completely no-nonsense; which was exactly why the blonde had been so insistent that Oaken had to have a part to play in his new team.

“Oh, yeah?” he responded, his tone flat, and he knew from experience that his trainer would be able to read the words for what Kristoff had intended them to be: a dismissal. 

Usually, it worked well between them, and lines weren’t crossed as often as they used to be.

Apparently, Oaken wanted to cross that line today.

“Yeah. So, tell me – if there was something bothering you, would it just so happen to be that pretty little redhead that you spent all of your night talking to?”

Kristoff froze at the question, and whilst irritation bubbled within him, he attempted to swallow it down. 

He wasn’t going to let this bother him. He _wasn’t_.

“No,” he said, willing for his tone to remain passive and indifferent. 

A beat of silence passed between the two men, and Kristoff clenched and unclenched his fists, examining the damage that the rope had caused to his hands over the past half an hour. He wondered if he was being too defensive, and he cleared his throat, wanting to cover his back. 

“Why? What has she got to do with anything?”

The blonde didn’t have to turn back around to see the smile on Oaken’s face – he could hear it loud and clear in the man’s tone of voice. “Nothing at all,” he said. “However, there is that one thing – I know that we’ve discussed it before, but I wanted to remind you about it -”

Kristoff frowned, confused and impatient; and turned around to face the older man once again. “What _thing_?”

The smile on Oaken’s mouth didn’t falter, and he shrugged his shoulders casually. His eyes trailed up and down Kristoff, and the glint in them was almost knowing.

The blonde didn’t like the way that this conversation was going.

“You know,” Oaken smiled. “Celibacy.”

The statement was simple enough, and it wasn’t as though Oaken looked as though he cared much for the topic – after all, he had been right; it was a subject that they had discussed before. Oaken had valued celibacy as part of training and had told Kristoff all about the benefits of it, but it had never mattered, then, so Kristoff had never paid much attention.

Not that it mattered now, of course. 

But still, Kristoff felt the colour drain from his face at the realisation of Oaken's implication, and he found himself shaking his head slightly. It wasn’t so much that his boss thought that he might have had a chance with Anna – because that would have been something close to a compliment – so much as it was that Oaken thought that the two of them would be potentially sleeping together.

Kristoff hadn’t needed much encouragement to imagine that scenario, and now, here he was.

Oh, _fuck_.

His jaw tensed, and he looked directly into Oaken’s eyes; hoping that the older man would be able to read the sincerity in his face as well as hear it in his tone. 

“I’m not sleeping with her,” he said, the statement simple and – with any luck – effective. “I’m - I’m not planning on doing, either.”

Whilst his heart was thumping tremendously within his chest, Kristoff managed to hold his nerve and his expression remained blank, if not stern.

Oaken, meanwhile, didn’t seem tense whatsoever. “That’s good news,” he said, the smile still playing on his lips. “And don’t worry, Kristoff – once your first season is finished, you can both go at it as much as you wish. Until then, it’s no good.”

Kristoff groaned. “That’s not what I meant,” he protested, but Oaken had already turned around to leave. “Hey!” he called after him, but Oaken didn’t bother to respond; instead, he smiled knowingly once again as he closed the gym door behind him and disappeared.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and Kristoff looked up at himself in the floor-length mirror that covered the whole of the length of the gym wall.

If he didn’t know it before, then he certainly did now. 

He was fucked.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've re-opened my old tumblr account (thanks to minno / Kristanna for the nudge!) but it's been years since I've used it so it'll probably take me a while to find a lot of you on there, but I am trying my best to hunt you down!! Haha. Anyway, my username is the same as on here - xmjcx :) 
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who has been so kind as to take the time to comment on this story! I think I have replied to everyone so far but apologies if I've missed you somehow! 
> 
> Finally, it's super late where I am and I'm very tired and up early for work, so I haven't proof read/spell checked; so all errors will be amended tomorrow - I just wanted to get it out there!

One week.

That was all that Anna had to wait until she saw him again.

_ One week. _

Considering that she had waited over one month between their first and second encounters, she had initially thought that she would have been able to handle this week much better; however, the princess hadn’t found it easy at all. She had been anxious to see him again, and she found that she thought of him often – though there wasn’t really much change on that front since he’d been on her mind since the first time she saw him.

It all felt so  _ real _ now – now that he knew her name and had her number. She could communicate with the boxer easily; could pick up the phone whenever she pleased and ask him all the questions that came into her mind about who he was and how he lived. 

She didn’t do that, though – instead, Anna found herself trying her best to play it cool, although that method hadn’t worked out too well for her over the past week. She knew that it was in her nature to be impatient, but as the weekend had drawn closer by each dragging minute of the clock, Anna had been restless.

The two of them had spoken irregularly throughout the course of the week. The inconsistency in their communication mostly stemmed down to Anna’s early realisation that Kristoff’s days were  _ very _ busy – far busier than her own. Training for his fights seemed to dominate his life in more ways than Anna would have ever imagined, and so she had tried her best to make the effort to not be too pushy or needy or overbearing and instead she had left him to it as much as possible.

It felt odd to her, at first – waiting hours for someone to respond to simple messages had never been something that Anna had experienced, since most people came to her beck and call pretty much immediately; although when she had voiced a complaint about this, her sister had simply laughed.

“He has a  _ job _ , Anna,” Elsa had smiled, her voice soft and reassuring, and she had spoken again when Anna was just about to point out that she did, too. 

Well – kind of. Okay, so  _ princess _ was her job title, but again - details. 

“A  _ real _ job,” her sister continued, almost as though she could read her mind. “An actual, physical job that requires time and effort and energy. And that’s what you said you liked about him.”

Her sister had been right, of course - as always - and so Anna swallowed her complaints and sulked about it a little more privately from then on. Boxing was Kristoff’s life; it put food on the table and kept a roof over his head, and since he was literally competing against other men, Anna knew that he had to keep focused. 

The redhead may not have known an awful lot about the sport, but she knew that whilst Kristoff’s profile was being raised each time that he won another fight, the spot at the top only lasted so long; and if he wanted to remain undefeated for as long as possible, then he had to continue to work hard.

From what she knew of his training schedule, it was  _ intense _ , although Anna supposed that it made sense since it must have taken an awful lot of working out to stay looking like  _ that _ . His early-morning responses to her late-night texts indicated that he was an early riser - she had quickly realised that he probably had to wake up before sunrise, and the notion was just so alien to her that she was honestly kind of horrified. 

It sounded as though everything was planned out for him by one of the members of his team – right down to the smallest details, like what he ate - and although Anna could somewhat relate, she equally couldn’t imagine what she would do or say if someone attempted to stop her from eating chocolate.

The thought of food caused her stomach to rumble loudly, and Elsa let out a chuckle from where she was sitting behind her. 

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to come with you?” the blonde asked, sounding uncertain as she paused the movement of her fingers from where they had been pulling and tugging at Anna’s hair in order to form two loose, chunky braids that ran down her back.

The redhead was sat on her knees between Elsa’s legs – the older of the two sisters was perched upon the freshly made queen-sized bed in the centre of Anna’s bedroom – and she nodded her head up and down as she simultaneously reached into the pocket of her white dressing gown in order to grab her phone.

“I’m sure, Elsa,” Anna commented as she opened the forward-facing camera on her phone to check over her make-up for the fifth time in half an hour. She had opted for a more natural look tonight – no over-the-top smoky eye shadow or false eyelashes. Instead, Anna had chosen a more neutral palette; the only real pop of colour was the baby pink lipstick that she wore. 

She smiled softly at her reflection, quite satisfied.

“Besides, Kristoff said that I would have the best view if I sat in his box with all of his team, but there was only one spare seat.”

The thought of sitting – and being  _ seen _ sitting – in his box thrilled her in a way that she knew was utterly ridiculous. People would talk if they caught a glimpse of her watching him unaccompanied; but for once, the thought didn’t deter her – in fact, it almost spurred her on a little bit. 

She didn’t care much for the media scrutiny that came with being a member of the royal family, but now, she wondered if it could work to her advantage.

After all, if the rest of the world thought that there was something more between the two of them than just friendship -  _ were they even friends? _ \- then maybe there was a chance that Kristoff might start to think that, too.

Anna caught herself quickly. Whilst she may not have known him all that well, it wasn’t as though he was a stranger; and Anna knew that he wasn’t stupid, could tell that he wasn’t easily manipulated. Besides, she didn’t want to manipulate him – not really. Deep down, she wanted Kristoff to like her because – well, because he actually did, not just because someone had messed with his mind or made him think that he should feel like that towards her.

“Oh, yeah?” Elsa asked, and although her tone was light-hearted and teasing, the eye-roll was honestly audible. “Next thing, it’ll be ’and then Kristoff said that it would just be easier if I spent the night at his place, but – oops! There was only one bed!’”

Anna gasped in horror and turned her head slightly – not wanting to actually move too quickly so that she didn’t disrupt her sister’s handiwork on her hair – and narrowed her eyes at Elsa, who merely snickered. 

“Hey!” Anna protested, and whilst she hoped that she sounded at least somewhat offended, she knew that Elsa wouldn’t have missed the way that her lips twitched in a desperate attempt to smile. “I don’t sound like that.”

Elsa laughed heartily in response.

.

.

.

It had been late by the time that Anna had managed to finish up getting herself ready, and she had panicked for a moment that she would have been late, and she dreaded the thought of him spotting her empty seat and thinking that she wasn’t coming. However, Anna needn’t have worried as she arrived promptly at the event a good fifteen minutes early for Kristoff’s fight.

It felt strange to arrive alone, and although she wasn’t ever truly alone since there was always at least one royal protection officer nearby, their company wasn’t quite the same as her sisters or her friends. 

Anna had worried about being underdressed – which, as a princess, wasn’t something that she had to worry about often – and she had eventually decided to throw on a pair of simple white heels with her black skinny jeans and dark halterneck top. 

The redhead looked around the room as she was escorted to her seat by a member of staff, and she was relieved to see that other people in attendance had opted for casual jeans, too; and she thanked the employee as she was ushered into the area that had been reserved for members of Kristoff’s team.

Kristoff had been telling the truth when he had informed her that there was just one seat remaining in the reserved area, and thankfully for Anna, that seat was perched right on the end of the aisle, meaning that she didn’t have to disturb anyone in order to access it. Though her heart skipped within her chest as it fully dawned upon her that she was really here, ready to watch Kristoff fight -  _ alone _ \- she kept a neutral expression as she sat herself down in the free space.

Anna had opted to wear a black faux-fur coat over the top of her outfit, and she made quick work of shrugging it off once she sat down. The princess never really wore black – certainly not whilst she was on duty, since it was a colour that was strictly reserved for mourning - but she wanted to try something different tonight.

Anna had planned to send Elsa a message to let her know that she had arrived safely and also to confirm that there had indeed only been one seat left, however, before she could withdraw her phone from her coat pocket, the large man sitting beside her turned around and looked down so that their eyes met. Feeling ever so slightly awkward but attempting to push past it, Anna blinked up at him and smiled sweetly.

Why was everyone here so  _ tall _ ?

“Hello,” he said to her, a similar smile lighting up his own face. “How are you, dear?”

The man seemed friendly enough, which Anna took to be quite a good start to her evening. Sitting next to strangers was always kind of – well,  _ awkward _ \- and she felt somewhat relaxed by his kind smile. He didn’t look like the kind of man that she needed to worry about, and besides – he was a member of Kristoff’s team.

At least he had acknowledged the fact that she existed and was here. Anna would have been absolutely mortified if he would have just completely ignored her presence and continued talking to everyone else around him, acting as though she didn’t even exist.

“Hello,” she stuttered out, although the small smile still lingered on her face. 

She could feel her cheeks turning crimson, and whilst she wanted nothing more than to panic and run – had she honestly thought that she would have been able to avoid his team when she was literally sitting in a box with them? - she sat up a little straighter. 

“I’m fine, thank you. More than fine, actually.” Oh,  _ god _ , why did she say that? “And yourself?”

The man nodded, his eyes practically twinkling as the grin on his face widened. “I’m good,” he said, and Anna couldn’t help but to feel somewhat suspicious about the pure joy that seemed to radiate all over his face. It was almost as if he was excited. “You must be Kristoff’s Anna, yes?” he asked, still smiling warmly.

The question was simple, but it caught her off guard and caused her breath to hitch ever so slightly.

_ Kristoff’s Anna _ . That had a ring to it, she decided almost instantly. It sounded much better than  _ Princess Anna _ or  _ the spare, Anna; _ and the thought of it – and what it implied – made her want to let out an elated cheer. 

It prompted her to wonder about what Kristoff had told this man about her – if he had even told him anything at all – and the blush that had previously crept onto her face darkened significantly.

In order to prevent herself from looking like an absolute lunatic, the redhead fought back the manic grin that longed to spread itself across her features. Instead, she kept that sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face and nodded her head in confirmation. 

“Yes,” she said, a little breathless as she giggled nervously. “I suppose that’s me.”

“I thought so,” he said, his tone somewhat thoughtful as he continued to stare down at her. Although the man was still smiling at her, Anna couldn’t help but to wonder whether he was searching for anything in particular as his eyes traced across her face – an emotion, an expression, a sign - she couldn’t be sure; but before she could think about it for much longer, he broke the silence between them once again in order to introduce himself to her. “I’m Oaken,” he stated. “Kristoff’s trainer.”

Oaken pushed out one of his big hands towards her, keeping the other resting firmly on his lap, and Anna took it in her own, shaking it three times. 

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Oaken,” she commented; and the lights dimmed no sooner had the words left her mouth.

“Shh,” he hushed, and Anna giggled at the playful grin that danced across his face. “It’s starting, now, and I’m not going to let you distract me like you’ve been distracting our star fighter.”

A loud voice boomed over the crowd to introduce Kristoff’s opponent, but Anna didn’t hear a thing; her eyes wide and her heart racing as she wondered what on earth  _ that _ was supposed to mean.

.

.

.

Anna didn’t even attempt to fight the smile that had been lingering on her face for the last ten minutes as she half-walked, half-skipped down the vast corridor; and she attempted to utilise the sound of her heels tapping against the cool, tiled floor in order to remain grounded and not float into the clouds. 

It all seemed too good to be true, and she knew the saying -  _ if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is  _ \- but Anna had always been an optimist, and it had been somewhat refreshing to be able to celebrate Kristoff’s win tonight whilst in the company of other people who wholeheartedly supported him. 

It wasn’t as though Anna hadn’t enjoyed the two previous wins that she had witnessed, but it was just  _ different _ when Elsa was with her. Her sister was so proper; so calm and collected, effortlessly regal and perfectly poised. The blonde never seemed to put a foot wrong, and although Anna was more-or-less comfortable in her own skin, sometimes it was difficult  _ not _ to feel uncomfortable when she was next to the future queen.

Tonight had been different. Tonight, Anna hadn’t needed to restrain herself, and she had laughed and jumped and cheered – she had even stood up whilst she clapped when the referee raised one of Kristoff’s arms in the air in order to signify his win; and it had been so exciting to know that her excitement wasn’t unique, that the other people who surrounded her felt – and behaved – the same as she did.

When his dark eyes had met hers from where he stood victorious in the ring – when he found her on her feet, a wide grin on her face and her hands clapping together in furious excitement – Anna’s heart didn’t just skip, it  _ soared _ . An unexpected sense of pride had warmed her from the inside out as she listened to the crowd cheer his name, but when his eyes had fallen upon her, all that she felt was hot, blazing heat.

Once Kristoff had left the ring – escorted by many members of his team; some who opted to clap him on the back whilst others chatted loudly – Oaken had explained to her that he had to have a routine physical check-up after every fight, but provided her with instructions as to how to get to Kristoff’s dressing room. 

“You don’t think he’ll mind me just - you know. Turning up there?” she asked, and the redheaded man had simply grinned at her as though he knew something she didn’t. 

So, that’s how she ended up here; sat in the middle of a large, grey suede U-shaped suite that was placed in the centre of the dressing room. Whilst Anna hadn’t really known what to expect of Kristoff’s dressing room, this certainly hadn’t been it - bright white walls and floor-length mirrors that ran up to the ceiling didn’t exactly scream big burly boxer, but she supposed that this space wasn’t entirely his.

By the time the door to the dressing room opened and closed, Anna had lost all track of time, and the unexpected sound caused her to jump and sit up straighter. She narrowed her eyes slightly before she spotted him walking down the thin hallway that led further into the dressing room, and her face lit up in a smile as soon as his eyes met hers.

“Kristoff!” she grinned.

Her fingers twitched awkwardly at the sight of him, and so she dug them into the material of the couch before she ended up doing something about it. Anna cringed a little at how loud and over-enthusiastic she sounded at Kristoff’s appearance, but she thought that the smile on his own face was certainly worth a little embarrassment on her part.

“Hey, Anna,” he responded, his own tone of voice much more neutral than her own, and a dark blush hurried onto her cheeks at the sound of his voice.

For a long moment, neither of them said a word. There was something about the way in which he hovered on the spot – almost as if he was trying to shrink in size – and the way his eyes darted around the space that seemed to scream discomfort.

She wondered why on earth he would ever feel uncomfortable stood before her when he looked like  _ that _ ; so tall and broad and wide, his plain white tee clinging to his sweat-soaked skin -

And her eyes widened as she wondered whether he had been expecting her.

“Oaken told me to come here,” she explained, her words rushed. “I didn’t just turn up here or anything. I mean, I wanted to see you, it’s not that I didn’t; but I just -” Anna cringed inwardly at herself, though she relaxed at the sight of the small smile that tugged at his lips. “Yeah. Oaken invited me.”

“Don’t worry, I - he told me,” he informed her, and Anna smiled. 

“You - ah, congratulations on the win,” she continued, suddenly feeling nervous. “You did great!”

“Thanks. And, ah, sorry that I took so long,” he said, and his smile faltered slightly. “I guess that he hit my head harder than I thought, so the nurse just wanted to be sure I wasn’t concussed.”

Suddenly, she was horrified by the realisation that she hadn’t ever considered just how easy it would be for him to get seriously hurt in this profession. 

This was the third time that she had seen him fight, and he always made it look so easy and effortless, but his size, strength and talent combined meant that he made it particularly easy to forget that he was still vulnerable to injury. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, concern laced in her voice.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine - don’t worry about me,” he said whilst he brought one of his hands up to rub at the back of his neck. “I - uh – I've got a thick skull,” he continued with a half-chuckle that made Anna smile softly.

She hummed in response and was about to open her mouth to say something more when he spoke again.

“Hey, I – I'm kind of sweaty, so I’m just gonna go and grab a quick shower and get changed,” he said whilst pointing his thumb in the direction of the door to his right, which Anna quickly realised must have been the bathroom. “Do you want me to put the TV on or something for you whilst you wait? I won’t be long, but -”

"That would be great,” Anna nodded. 

She watched him step around the room so that he could reach for the remote, and suddenly, the blonde was an awful lot closer to her than he had been previously. He spent a brief period talking her through how to switch channels, but Anna couldn’t focus, could hardly  _ breathe  _ with him so close, and her eyes honed in on the beads of sweat that were slowly trickling down his arms. 

“Got it?” he asked, and Anna wasn’t expecting to see a familiar sense of heat and desire in his own eyes when she finally lifted her gaze from his taught stomach at his words. 

She swallowed thickly, and heat prickled within her as she noticed the way his eyes followed the movement in her throat.

“Yeah,” she said, a little breathless. “I think so.”

“Good,” he said, nodding his head once. “Alright, well - I won’t be a minute. But, ah, feel free to help yourself to whatever you want out of the mini-fridge.”

Anna smiled softly at him before he walked into the bathroom, appreciating the view of his sweat-damp hair and impossibly broad shoulders from behind. She attempted to commit the sight of him like this to her memory – pocketed it for later – and she brought her hands up to her mouth to stifle a giggle at the sound of the water running in the bathroom.

.

.

.

One week.

That was all that Anna had needed to wait until she kissed him. 

.

.

.

True to his word, Kristoff didn’t take more than a couple of minutes in the shower; and Anna wondered whether he was conscious about the fact that she was sitting there, patiently waiting for him, and it was a pleasant surprise to witness how nice he looked in a pair of light grey joggers, a matching zip-up jacket and a plain white tee.

Anna found herself wondering what that tee shirt would look like on her; if it would pool down to her thighs, if it would cover her decently, if the sight of her in it would make him want her -

It was safe to say that Anna wasn’t all that used to being around men who wore casual clothes like this.

It was also safe to say that she very much enjoyed the view.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, and whilst the question was innocent enough, the princess could sense the underlying question. 

A flash of a devilish grin shot across her face before she could stop herself.

“After last week?” she asked him, a giggle holding in her throat. 

She watched the way that he rummaged around the small kitchen area, and despite her teasing, he still pulled out a bottle of red wine. He glanced over at her and she nodded her head once in approval.

Anna hadn’t realised just how thirsty she was. 

“Do you know what time I woke up that day?” she continued. “Almost three o’clock! I think my mother thought I was dead.”

Kristoff laughed at that, and as always, the sound made Anna’s heart dance. 

“Do you know what time I had to get up that day?” he retorted as he bent down towards a cupboard and retrieved two wine glasses. “Six o’clock. Just like always.”

The thought of waking up so early made Anna groan, and Kristoff laughed once again as he balanced the glasses and the bottle in his hands. She wondered how he made everything seem so effortless and easy – after all, she knew that if she had been given the same task, she would have easily had to make two journeys to and from the couch or something would have ended up smashed across the hard wooden floor.

A small, self-conscious part of Anna wondered if Kristoff found her ridiculous; whether he thought that it was actually a little pathetic how she didn’t need to work like he did, how she didn’t really have anything particular in the morning to get up and ready for. But if he did feel that way, then he didn’t make it known; not by what he said, or how he acted towards her.

Instead, Kristoff smiled so softly and so sweetly at her as he set the wine and the glasses down on the white gloss coffee table that was positioned directly in front of the couch. She sensed a little hesitation as he sat down beside her; close, but not close enough for her liking, since there was still some distance between the two of them.

Anna watched as he poured the red liquid into the glasses; watched the way his jacket tightened around his biceps as though the material might tear if he tensed or flexed ever so slightly, watched the way his fingers moved so swiftly in order to unscrew the bottle, and she was so overwhelmed with how easy it was to be mesmerised by him. Before she could really register what it was that she was doing, Anna scooted herself a little closer towards him, and her trembling hands released their tight hold of the couch.

Now, they were free to move as they pleased, and move they did.

The thing was, Anna really  _ was _ thirsty, and she loved red wine; but as much as she would have loved the buzz that the wine would have given her, would have probably benefited from the confidence it would instill, she didn’t want to be drunk when she kissed him.

Didn’t want to be anything but sober so that she could remember every tiny detail about this moment.

Without any kind of logical plan behind her movements, Anna raised one of her hands and reached out towards him. She watched herself place a steady palm flat against his bicep, and even through the layer of his jacket and tee shirt, Anna was certain that she could feel his strength.

Kristoff had just begun to pour wine into the second glass when she reached out to touch him, and he stopped immediately; his eyes darting down to look at where she had pressed her palm against him, back up to her eyes, and then back down to her hand once again. Anna was close enough to him now that she could make out the dusting of freckles underneath his eyes and across the bridge of his nose, and she smiled softly over at him.

_ God _ , she really hoped that she hadn’t read this wrong, but it all felt so right that Anna was certain she couldn’t have misread it. 

She was so close to him now; close enough that she could smell the soap he had used in the shower, close enough that she could make out the heat in his own eyes, close enough so that when she tilted her chin, her nose practically brushed against his. 

Close enough now so that when she blinked, her eyelashes fluttered against his cheek; and close enough again that she felt his exhaled breath dance across her face.

“Anna,” he murmured, voice soft and gentle, but Anna was adamant that she could hear how much he wanted her, too -

So, when she was finally close enough, she pressed her mouth to his.

For a moment or two, there was absolutely nothing at all – as in literally,  _ nothing _ \- and all of the confidence that Anna had built up over the course of the last few minutes disintegrated, and she panicked.

_ Oh dear. _

As she held her position with her lips pressed against his – the pair of them completely still – the princess began to wonder how she had managed to get this whole situation so wrong. She knew that she wasn’t perfect, by any means; but she hadn’t thought that Kristoff wouldn’t even kiss her back. 

And if his reaction was anything to go off, then he was evidently horrified by her behaviour. It wasn’t just that his lips were completely still as it was that the whole of his body was frozen into place, and the redhead wasn’t actually convinced that he had even so much as let out a breath.

Embarrassed by her bold action, Anna moved her head slightly so that she could pull herself backwards and back away from him. An apology began to creep into her throat, but just as she went to move, Anna felt the slightest hint of pressure against her lips. 

Confused, her eyes fluttered open; but just as Anna moved to pull away once more, one of Kristoff’s large hands was cupping her cheek – and  _ wow _ , his hands were  _ really _ big – and she grinned into his mouth when he finally returned her kiss.

_ Finally _ .


	9. Chapter 9

They kissed for what felt like hours.

Anna had imagined this moment since the very first time that she had laid her eyes upon him; had spent so, _so_ many nights dreaming about how his lips would feel pressed against her own, and the nights that she hadn’t dreamed of him were usually due to the fact that her thoughts of him meant that she was unable to chase sleep. 

For the last six or seven weeks, thoughts of him had consumed her like no other man had done before; thoughts of how he might feel pressed against her, thoughts of how he would taste if he licked his tongue inside of her mouth, thoughts of whether he would kiss her all hard and strong like the muscles of his chest or soft and sweet like the honey colour of his eyes -

The sensation of his teeth as they nipped against her bottom lip caused Anna’s breath to hitch in her throat, and something between a moan and a giggle escaped her lips as she attempted to deepen their kiss further. Her legs were trembling, and she wanted to be closer; wanted to scramble over the couch and swing her legs over him so that she could straddle her body across Kristoff’s lap, wanted to grip her fists into his shirt and pull his skin flush against her own until they were practically one.

But Kristoff was so _sweet_ , so gentle and soft and careful even as he kissed her thoroughly, and the way that he kept his hands very much to himself – well, apart from the one that had been cupping her cheek since she initiated the kiss – suggested that he wasn’t quite as ready as she was to up the ante.

Which was fine, of course – he was probably exhausted from his fight, and equally drained from an intense week of training. Sometimes, it was easy for her to forget that Kristoff’s life was nothing like hers; that he didn’t spend most days not having an awful lot to do apart from attend charity events, cut ribbons and indulge in the odd party. 

The thought caused her to feel guilty for a moment, but then he groaned into her mouth as her tongue danced against his, and those feelings simmered away.

After all, she was hardly forcing him to kiss her; and if that guttural noise that he had just made was anything to go off, then he was certainly enjoying this just as much as she was.

Nevertheless, Anna had been attempting to make some more responsible decisions since the whole evil ex-boyfriend who wanted to usurp the throne thing, and she supposed that sleeping with a man that she had only met three times wasn’t the most responsible decision she could make.

And _woah_ , where on earth did _that_ come from?

After some time - not long enough - their kisses slowed in pace; and whilst she had initially been overcome with need and want and lust, Anna now felt warm and full and satisfied as the movement of their lips became slow and lazy. 

Kristoff offered her one final soft peck before he dropped his forehead so that it rested carefully against her own, and Anna let out a contented sigh. The pair of them were both a little out of breath, and a giggle escaped her mouth a few seconds later when she opened her eyes to find that Kristoff was looking directly back at her, his pupils blown wide and his eyes so dark.

The way that he looked at her caused her stomach to flip in a mixture of nerves and excitement. Anna had never seen him look at her like this before, and she marveled at how he was able to look at her with such tenderness but equally with such heat. The look in his eyes right now – pure hunger that she was certain mirrored her own – caused Anna to shiver.

The redhead was still pressed close enough to him that she could make out the soft pink hue of his cheeks, and she wondered whether she looked equally – if not more – flustered. It had been an awfully long time since Anna had been kissed, and she had certainly never been kissed like _that_ before; so she could only imagine how she must have looked.

Not for the first time, Anna wondered what Kristoff saw when he looked at her. She wondered what he thought of her lips, which were now swollen from their kisses, or of her eyes, now blown wide with desire. She wondered whether he liked the smell of her perfume, or whether he liked the way that she tasted; and she wondered if he wanted her in the same way that she wanted him.

His thumb brushed carefully along the expanse of her cheekbone, and the unexpected movement caused Anna’s eyes to widen in surprise. There was something almost intimate about it – so gentle and delicate as he gazed at her – and Anna swallowed thickly.

Kristoff was nothing like anyone she had ever known, and Anna was astonished at how this man who touched her with such tenderness and care could be the same man who had just knocked his opponent out with one punch.

Another contented sound escaped her throat, but the noise seemed to spook him, and when Anna felt his fingers twitch from where they were placed against her jaw, she got the feeling that he was suddenly about to move them. She instinctively panicked – she didn’t want him to remove his hand from her face; she wanted him to stay exactly where he was, with his warm hand caressing her cheek. 

She wanted him to keep looking at her like that.

So her own palm snapped up quickly – before he could move away – and she grasped at him clumsily in an attempt to hold him in place. She wrapped her slender fingers around his wrist and tucked away the thought of how thick his arms were for a rainy day.

Kristoff could have very easily overpowered her in that moment, should he want to - could have removed his hand from her face regardless of whether she was clinging to him or not, and Anna knew that he was strong enough to bat her own delicate hands away without so much as giving it a second thought. 

But he didn’t. 

Instead, he seemed to understand the unspoken words - _stay_ \- and he left his hand where it was, pressed so gently against her face.

Once she was satisfied that Kristoff wasn’t going to go anywhere, Anna’s expression softened slightly, and she loosened the tight grip that she had initially had upon his wrist. The redhead smiled gently as she leaned into his palm, and she turned her face slightly so that she could press a gentle, chaste kiss to the inside of his wrist.

The bold movement caused a further flush to rise across her face, and Anna wouldn’t have been surprised to find that her cheeks were as red as her hair, but she tried not to let her embarrassment deter her. 

“Hey,” she murmured – the first word that came into her head, since she didn’t really know what else to say to him – and she slowly moved her head back so that she could get a better look at his face. She wanted to nuzzle her face further into his palm, wanted to trace more kisses down the inside of his wrist and then trace up his bicep with her tongue -

Kristoff chuckled lowly at her, and she smiled at the sound.

 _God,_ she had it bad.

His thumb traced over her cheekbone once again, and Anna hummed lowly in her throat. The sound seemed to spur him on, and he repeated the motion. 

“Hey, yourself,” he said to her, his voice soft and raspy all at once, and Anna beamed.

.

.

.

It was late by the time that Anna’s car arrived to bring her back to the palace, so there was nobody really around to greet her, but Anna didn’t mind whatsoever. A wide smile was spread across her face that she seemed unable to drop, even as she walked through the long halls and winding corridors. She knew that her face was still flushed from the evening, knew that her lips were still swollen slightly from their endless kisses; and Anna wanted to savour every little detail.

Her bedroom door closed with a soft click, and the princess wasn’t at all surprised to find Elsa waiting in her bed when she finally turned around.

The blonde had been half-asleep, and the sound of the door closing caused her to jump upright from where she was spread out in the centre of Anna’s queen-sized bed; and Anna giggled at the sight of Elsa’s confused expression. She moved over to the end of the bed so that she could reach for the fresh set of pyjamas that had been laid out ready for her return, and Elsa yawned softly before she spoke.

“So,” the future queen addressed her, dragging out the sound of the word as she spoke. “How was it?”

The look on Anna’s face must have said everything that Elsa needed to know, and the future queen scooted over in order to make some more room in the bed. She pulled the covers back in one swift motion before she patted the empty space beside her, a knowing grin spread across her lips. 

“Tell me _everything_.”

.

.

.

The feel of her phone vibrating excessively caused Anna to wake with a grumble, and she rubbed her eyes in frustration at the disturbance. The princess cracked open one eyelid to look at who had been contacting her, and her face fell slightly as she was greeted with what appeared to be an endless list of notifications. 

Panic washed over her immediately – none of her friends ever contacted her all at once like this unless something was seriously wrong – and Anna suddenly felt very much awake as she pushed herself upright in bed.

The redhead unlocked her phone and scrolled quickly through the texts and whatsapp notifications, her eyes scanning them at rapid speed in order to pick out any key words to make sense of what was the matter. However, she frowned as she realised that the majority of her friends weren’t really texting her words – instead, she’d received an array of emojis; particularly boxing gloves and heart eyes and an awful lot of the eggplant emoji, too.

_What on earth was going on?_

Anna rubbed her eyes for a brief second in an attempt to wipe away the sleep that lingered in them, although she quickly dropped her palms as she felt her phone vibrate in her lap to alert her of yet another notification. 

Instinctively, Anna clicked on the news alert – the one that she had set up linked to Kristoff’s name after the first time that she saw him fight – but her heart thumped within her chest when she realised that it wasn’t just Kristoff’s name in the headline.

The story took a couple of seconds to load, but then Anna was looking directly at herself. The picture itself wasn’t the best quality – fuzzy, a little unfocused, and clearly taken from a distance – but it was still undoubtedly her. She was stood up, grinning widely, her palms grasped together to indicate that she was clapping. It was unclear from the first image who was the object of her attention, but as she scrolled through the story – not bothering to read any of the words, instead only looking at the pictures – it soon became _very_ clear where she was, and who she was cheering for.

Anna felt a mixture of emotions – after all, she’d had a feeling that this would happen; she had wondered what the media would think of the fact that she was there, watching him fight. But now it all felt so _real_ , and though she had long learned not to pay much mind to anything that was published in the media, her thoughts immediately went to Kristoff and how he might feel about all of this.

Her hands trembled slightly as she scrolled back up to the top of the page and finally read the headline. Her eyes widened at the words.

_Goodbye Prince Charming, hello Prince Fisticuff’s!_

Oh, dear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have Prince Fisticuff's over Prince Charming any day :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never imagined that Kristoff would ever respond positively to the media scrutiny that came with being associated with Anna, but I also didn't want to show Anna as just sitting around and moping forever about it, either.
> 
> Also, the latter scene in this chapter is heavily inspired by this gorgeous artwork that I mentioned in the previous chapter: 
> 
> https://minnothebunny.tumblr.com/post/190499056950/golden-boy-post-fight-kristanna-boxing-au
> 
> I can't stop looking at it! Thank you minnothebunny for drawing this, it's gorgeous and I love it <3

Kristoff didn’t speak to her for three days.

At first, Anna had made excuses for him in her mind; had thought up many extravagant reasons that would fairly explain why he wouldn’t have communicated with her, but she soon realised that the likelihood of those excuses being even somewhat close to the truth was slim-to-none. 

By the third morning of him not responding to any of her messages or answering the phone, Anna had decided that she had well and truly had enough.

Anna reasoned with herself several times that he was probably running scared, but it just didn’t feel like a good enough get-out for her. Realistically, she knew that it wasn’t fair to necessarily rip him to shreds over his response to the sudden media scrutiny that had come his way because of her, and Elsa had told her as much, too.

“What do you want him to do, Anna?” Her sister had frowned, her cool blue eyes soft and wide. “You said he was a rookie - that he’s only just making a name for himself, so he’s never had to deal with anything on this kind of scale before. You know as well as I do exactly what they’re going to do to him now.”

It felt unfair, but it was the truth. The media could be so cruel and unkind; and whilst Anna understood that these journalists were just doing their job, she didn’t think it would really be necessary for them to start analysing all of Kristoff’s past as well as his present.

Elsa’s words served as a reminder to her that Kristoff had never been prepared for any of this, and though she felt frustrated and upset, hurt and angry, she also felt so guilty for dragging him into this whole mess. 

As a princess, Anna had received pretty extensive training and briefing on how best to handle the media throughout the course of her life – some of the best advice had been from her father, who said that sooner or later, a more interesting story always comes along - but as far as she knew, Kristoff had never had any of that kind of guidance.

True to her father’s advice, things settled down soon enough. 

The morning after the fight, it had seemed like every man and his dog in Norway had something to say about the princess being the guest of honour at Kristoff’s fight; but by the second morning, they were no longer making headline news; and on the third morning, Anna couldn’t find anything unless she outright google’d both of their names.

Anna found that she was pulled and torn between understanding why Kristoff was behaving like a child – after all, she was a princess, and she knew that the media (and the public) could be unforgiving, to say the least – to feeling so angry at him for just – just _ghosting_ her.

Kristoff’s only saving grace in this whole situation - as far as Anna was concerned - was the fact that he had led a completely normal life before she came along. Even though his success had caused quite the stir within the boxing community, he still wasn’t a household name, by any means; and whilst Anna didn’t know the blonde all that well, she got the impression that he was content with his quiet life. 

He didn’t seem to have any interest in holding an active presence on social media, or in acquiring any kind of fame, though her brief presence in his life so far had more than likely messed up an awful lot of that for him.

She thought of how he probably had paparazzi hounding him now, too, and she groaned loudly as she brought her hands to her face. Anna had been giddy with excitement at the thought of attending his fight; had been so eager to see him, so desperate to be close and so thrilled at the prospect of being _Kristoff’s Anna_ that she had overlooked his entire lifestyle and personality. 

She should have prepared him, should have explained what to expect; instead, she’d been too keen to shove her tongue down his throat that she hadn’t given anything else a second thought.

On the third day of no-contact, she opened their messages and re-read the last text that he had sent her - sweet dreams, princess - from the night of their first kiss. She had let him know that she’d arrived home safely, just like he’d asked her to; and then that was the last thing that she had heard from him since the whole prince fisticuff’s fiasco.

Today was going to be different, though.

Anna decided that today, she was going to be proactive and productive and go after what she wanted – which was him. She’d had three days to think it all over, and she was done with waiting; done with waiting around for him to come and talk to her when he finally stopped worrying, done with sitting pretty and keeping quiet. Anna was so sick and tired of people telling her what to do and what to think, and despite everyone’s advice, today, she was going to do what she believed to be the right thing.

Which, coincidentally, _wasn’t_ moping around in bed feeling sorry for herself whilst stuffing her face with as much chocolate and Haagen-Dazs as she could get her hands on.

.

.

.

Surprisingly enough, it hadn’t been too difficult to locate the gym studio where Kristoff spent his training sessions. A quick google search had just about done the trick, and she had almost laughed in elation at just how easy it had seemed to track the place down. It wasn’t in an area that she was familiar with, but that didn’t matter to her – she had just been keen to leave the palace and desperate to find him before she lost her nerve and ended up not doing anything at all about it.

Nevertheless, the excitement and elation that had originally bubbled within her soon turned to nervousness whilst she sat in the back of the car; and now, it turned to absolute uncertainty as she bit her lip and looked wide-eyed at the multi-story building.

According to Oaken’s website (she _really_ couldn’t believe her look when she had found that), the gym took over the expanse of the whole seventh floor; and Anna squinted up at the windows there in an attempt to spot any signs of life from within.

It was far too tall for her to be able to see so far, though, and she had no such luck. If she was being completely honest with herself, then the princess was beginning to think that this venture may have been a mistake. 

After all, this place looked practically deserted – the car park was empty, apart from a black pickup truck, and nobody seemed to be generally around. Anna suddenly felt terrible for her poor driver – it had taken them a good forty minutes to drive across town to get here, and she had a feeling that this venture may end up being very short-lived due to her own impatience.

She had a feeling, though. A feeling that she couldn’t really describe, and that she knew made her sound crazy, but it was _real_. 

Anna knew that it didn’t make any sense at all – especially considering the fact that she didn’t even really know Kristoff that much – but she somehow seemed to just know that this is where he was. Anna could almost sense him there, could imagine him walking across the car park and entering the building; and that was the moment that she un-clipped her belt buckle and practically leapt out of the car, waving her driver off with a quick thanks.

She stared up at the building for another moment more and inhaled deeply.

_You’ve got this._

Anna was relieved to find that the building was unlocked, so the entrance door pushed open with ease; and whilst it still didn’t look as though anyone was actually around, she hurried into the stairway that was positioned close by to the entrance anyway, hoping that she wouldn’t bump into anyone. She swallowed thickly as she looked up at the seemingly endless metal staircase that led to the higher floors, and with one final glance over her shoulder, Anna began to make her way up.

It wasn’t as though it took an awfully long time to get up the stairs, but her calves were burning by the time that she had arrived at her destination, and she inhaled and exhaled deeply for a minute in an attempt to compose herself before she went bursting through the entrance door. _Man_ , she really needed to work on her fitness. 

Someone’s scribbled handwriting on a piece of A4 paper that read ‘GYM’ had been messily sellotaped to the large door, but there was no window that she could glance through to peek inside and see if Kristoff was there.

Before she moved to open the door, Anna’s fingers danced over her appearance. She had opted to wear something casual, hoping that it would help to relax Kristoff if he saw her wearing something pretty normal. She’d opted for a button-down tartan dress paired with black tights, and her hair fell in loose waves down her shoulders and back. Anna brushed some hair back from her face and inhaled deeply once again before she pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the gym.

She had spent the entire car journey from the palace to here building up this scenario in her head, and it ended up being an awful lot less atmospheric than she had anticipated since Kristoff didn’t even bother to look over his shoulder at her. It appeared that he wasn’t at all bothered by the sound of the gym door opening and closing, and Anna wondered if he regularly had visitors. 

Instead of paying her any attention, Kristoff kept his back towards her whilst he continued to pound his gloved fists into the punching bag that dangled from the wall. Whilst she couldn’t see his face, she could picture his expression in her mind; could imagine him glaring at the bag like he did his opponents, and she briefly wondered if he had the ability to terrify inanimate objects.

Since Kristoff was evidently far too interested in his workout than looking up to see who had come to visit him, Anna allowed herself a moment or two to really drink him in. He was shirtless, his broad shoulders and taut back out on display; and he was sweaty, too. Dark shorts hung low on his hips, his fair hair was damp, and beads of sweat trickled down the back of his shoulders and arms. 

Anna wondered how long he had been here, and whether he was genuinely working out in accordance with his schedule or whether he was trying to clear his mind because of - well, _everything_.

She wasn’t sure which option was better.

Not for the first time, Anna marveled at just how light he was on his feet considering his size. Kristoff bounced on his toes as he swung at the bag, and a few soft grunts escaped his mouth when he hit it with enough power. Anna found herself enchanted by the way that he moved, and she didn’t even attempt to fight the blush that crept up onto her cheeks.

After another couple of seconds, Anna couldn’t take the build-up anymore, and she cleared her throat loudly. 

The unexpected sound clearly disturbed him by the way in which Kristoff’s movements faltered – the punch he had aimed at the bag missed the centre of it ever so slightly – and he whipped his head over his shoulder to look at her, genuine surprise evident across his features.

Anna wanted to be mad at him, she really, _really_ did. She’d had a speech prepared and everything so that she could give him a piece of her mind about how hurt she had been over these last three days; but she knew that she didn’t own him, didn’t have any kind of claim on him. It wasn’t as if she was his girlfriend – she wasn’t his anything, really. 

But still, his rejection over the past three days had hurt, and she had wanted him to know that; wanted him to know that he’d caused her to feel frustrated and upset and just downright shitty.

But now that he was standing here before her, his dark eyes boring into her own, she felt the anger and frustration begin to simmer away, and the hopeless affection that she felt for this absolutely clueless man began to sink in. 

Her eyes greedily widened at the sight of his bare chest and toned abdomen, and despite the blush on her face, she felt no shame as she indulged herself in the sight of him. Anna’s eyes honed in on the beads of sweat that were trickling down his abdomen and towards the sharp lines of his hips, and her mouth felt overwhelmingly dry.

“Anna,” he murmured, voice soft and dry; and he broke the silence that had stretched out between them as well as the spell that his half-naked body had put under her. 

She watched as Kristoff lifted one of his gloved hands uncertainly before he dropped it back down to his side, almost as if he was debating reaching out to her; and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, too.

After a few more moments of much the same, Anna decided to put him out of his misery. The princess offered him a gentle smile as she let out a small breath.

“Kristoff,” she replied, fighting the urge to grin at him. She was trying her best to remember that she was here because she was mad, because he had hurt her and upset her with his silence. “I, erm. I thought that I might find you here.”

The blonde looked a little confused, if not impressed, and Anna tried to ignore the way in which her chest tightened at the furrow in his brows. 

It’s _not_ endearing. _He’s_ not endearing. 

_He is not endearing._

“How?” he asked her; and although the question was incredibly simple, Anna knew what he meant by it.

The princess shrugged her shoulders almost casually, and she felt almost a little self-conscious as she wondered whether Kristoff would appreciate the effort that she had gone to in order to find him, or whether he would consider it all a little... well, _creepy_ , if not totally desperate. 

“I - um. I googled it,” she said, and whilst she cringed slightly, his face seemed to soften at that. “I hope you don’t mind.”

 _Now_ he looked at her like she was crazy, and he shook his head once. 

“No,” he told her with such certainty that she wholeheartedly believed him. “Not at all.”

Despite herself, Anna smiled. It was so easy to look into his eyes and find comfort and warmth and safety in there that made her feel relaxed in his company, but that also meant that it was incredibly easy for her to look at him and completely forget why she was here.

“Can we talk?” Anna asked, her voice softer than she thought it would be, and Kristoff’s eyes held her own for a moment before he eventually nodded his head once. Anna swallowed at that before she glanced around the gym, her light blue eyes filled with uncertainty. “I - here?” she clarified.

“Sure,” Kristoff responded, and he made his way over towards a workout bench that was situated near some free weights and a long gym mat. He sat himself down whilst Anna remained rooted to the spot, and whilst there was enough room for the pair of them to sit down on the bench, it hadn’t quite been what she’d had in mind.

The blonde looked directly at her from where he was sitting across the room on the bench. He had hunched his shoulders over ever so slightly so that he could rest his elbows against his knees, and whilst it should have caused him to appear smaller, it really didn’t. 

Kristoff had moved himself so quickly in order to comply with Anna’s suggestion that he hadn’t even removed his boxing gloves, and the realisation of that caused her to smile.

That soft smile quickly turned sad, though, and she stepped ever so slightly towards him as she spoke; wanting him to know that she was there, that she was present, but she knew that the hurt was audible in the way that her voice trembled when she spoke. 

“You’ve been ignoring me,” she said simply, and a heavy sigh escaped him before he nodded his head in response. “Why?” she asked, her brows knitted together. “I - _why_?”

“Anna,” he breathed, slumping forwards even more. “I didn’t - I didn’t want to upset you.”

She cocked a brow at his words, but she fought the urge to interrupt him.

“I just – I don’t know. I’ve never had to do anything like this before, and it was stupid of me to think that you and I could – you know.”

“Why was it stupid?” Anna asked, her voice small, but the frustration that she had been feeling on and off for the last three days bubbled within her once more. 

_Was he serious?_ Anna hadn’t been sure of what to expect, but the way he had so openly dismissed the idea of them had surprised her. 

When Kristoff didn’t respond to her question immediately, she frowned; her brows practically knotting together as she squinted across the gym at him. 

“It didn’t seem like you thought that it was stupid when you kissed me back,” she said, and Anna knew that her tone was harsh and bitter.

Kristoff sat up a little straighter at her words, and Anna knew that that had caught his attention. She resisted the urge to fully glare at him, though she equally couldn’t find it within her to turn her gaze elsewhere. 

He didn’t respond once again, and Anna took one tentative step closer towards him.

“Is this about the – you know,” she cringed. “The whole ‘prince fisticuff’s thing?” 

Anna noticed the way in which Kristoff’s jaw tensed at her question, and she knew immediately by his physical response that she had been correct in her assumption. The redhead took another slow step towards where he was sat, her tone slightly softer now.

“Because if it is, then that’s - _that’s_ what’s stupid. Not... not this. Not you and I.”

He scoffed at that and shook his head. 

“Anna,” he said, and he sounded frustrated, too. “I just - I'm not good at this kind of stuff. I don’t know what you want from me. And I’m not - I'm just not a prince _anything_ , okay?” He sighed in defeat as he continued. “I’m just - _me_. Just plain old Kristoff; no title, no fancy name - no fancy house, either.”

He sounded so pained when he spoke – almost as though he had something to be ashamed of – and Anna’s frown deepened as she moved closer to him once again. There was enough space available next to him on the bench so that she could have easily sat herself down beside him and spoken with him comfortably, but she didn’t want to. Anna found herself being pulled towards him, and she shuffled herself slightly so that she was positioned halfway between his open legs.

Kristoff looked up at her with uncertain eyes, though he seemed to understand what it was that she was trying to do; and he sighed softly as he relented and allowed his legs to relax further so that his knees spread apart enough to accommodate her slender frame between them. Anna bit back the smile that threatened to dance across her face and the movement, and she inched impossibly closer to him again so that she was well and truly trapped between his open legs.

This new position meant that for the first time, the redhead was at an advantage over him in terms of their height, and her eyes greedily roamed his face in acceptance of this new angle as Kristoff looked up at her, his own eyes uncertain.

“Kristoff,” she sighed; and before she could stop herself, she brought one hand up to rest against his cheek. 

The movement was hesitant – she barely even knew this man, and yet here she was, cupping his cheek like they were long-term lovers. Anna didn’t want to overthink of how many boundaries she could be crossing for him right now, and instead she continued. 

“I - I like all of that about you.”

The blonde rolled his eyes and moved his head towards the floor, but Anna was quicker, and she moved her other hand to underneath his chin, propping it up so that she could look directly into his eyes once again. 

“I mean it,” she said, and she hoped that he could read the sincerity in her eyes. “Do you have any idea just how much I've been going out of my mind these last few days? If I didn’t like you, then I wouldn’t be here.”

A few beats of silence passed between them, and she granted Kristoff the time that he needed to search her eyes for the answers to the silent questions that he held within his own. Once he seemed satisfied, he released another heavy sigh, and slowly but surely, he began to move, too. One of his gloved hands came to rest on the back of her thigh, whilst the other reached out to nudge her hip.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he told her, and Anna hoped that she didn’t look too surprised at his confession. “I - I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, Anna.”

That was something that she could relate to. Anna had been in relationships, sure; but she’d never felt like this about anyone else she had ever met, especially not when they had only been speaking for a few weeks. 

“Me neither,” she smiled, and she hoped that her gentle expression at least slightly reassured him. “But maybe – maybe we can figure it out. Together.”

“Yeah?” he asked, a small smile playing on the corners of his mouth, and Anna found herself being drawn into him.

She wasn’t sure if his gloved hands were pulling her impossibly closer against him, or whether she was just leaning into his body of her own accord, but soon enough her hands had looped themselves around his neck and she was near enough pressed flush against his body.

“Yeah,” she repeated as she gazed down at him, and Anna was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. “But I - I mean, I know it’s early days, I know that we’re not - I mean, you’re not - you know. But Kris, I don’t want you to shut me out.”

Her heart hammered in her chest as her fingers absent-mindedly began to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck. 

“I know it’s not easy having all eyes on you,” she continued. “Trust me, I do. But I – I think that we can do this. If - if _this_ is something that you want. We just… if we do it, then we have to stick together. We have to _talk_ about it. Okay?”

Anna wondered whether the boxer felt the same overwhelming urge that she did, because despite the fact that he nodded in response to her question, all that Anna could focus on was the way in which his eyes flickered from her own to her lips and back to her eyes again. Anna found herself smiling, and just moments later, she stopped torturing herself and pressed her mouth against his.

Her shoulders sagged in relief when he returned her kiss with eager pressure, and Anna smiled against his lips before she licked into his mouth. His gloved hands pulled her impossibly closer to him, and her fingers buried into his hair once more as they kissed at a lazy, exploratory pace.

And whilst Kristoff didn’t mind the title that the media had given him, Anna couldn’t help but smile as his red boxing gloves brushed against her thigh and her waist. 

_Prince Fisticuff's_ , indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few days that passed by were regular and boring and highly uneventful, which left Anna with an awful lot of free time on her hands. Whilst her father was still keen on the idea of her and Elsa keeping a low profile, things were calming down in England, which meant that they both had a little more freedom; though Anna still found that she spent most of her free time talking to Kristoff around his hectic schedule. 

His routine is practically the opposite of her own, and whilst this is something that Anna had quickly realised soon after their first meeting, it doesn’t change her disappointment and frustration at not being able to speak to him whenever she wanted - which, realistically, was all of the time, anyway. 

These feelings are new and unexpected, and whilst she thinks that it’s not particularly ideal or even necessarily normal to feel so strongly towards another person so early on in their story, no matter how hard she tries, Anna can’t seem to shake him. 

Most of Kristoff’s days seemed to revolve around training – whether that be at the gym that she had visited or elsewhere – but his profile was also rising with each fight that he dominated. Public interest in him had really perked up, and now Anna found that he seemed to be spending more and more time giving various interviews to different media outlets and partaking in more sponsorship deals.

Anna had worried, at first – worried about the kinds of questions that he would be asked and how he would answer them, particularly if they were about her. Kristoff had mentioned that his management previewed the questions before each interview, allowing time and space for any necessary adjustments, but it still didn’t cease her worry. 

Everything was all new, and considering how much he had freaked out about the whole prince fisticuff’s thing, Anna was worried that he might panic and run again.

She tried to push those thoughts away, though; and Anna wanted to remain positive and optimistic about the whole situation. She told herself that this time, it was different - she had already known Kristoff far longer than she had known (and dated) Hans, and she was sure that he really did like her. 

Kristoff had made it clear that he didn’t want any more unnecessary media attention, and so he had gently suggested that maybe it was best for now that she didn’t come to watch him fight – after all, he had only had a couple more fights left until the season was over, and then he would have a little more leeway in terms of how he managed his time.

That didn’t make the waiting any easier, of course, and Anna felt it was all rather unfair. She had been certain that there must have been a way that she could discreetly watch his fights – after all, she really had started to enjoy watching him - however, the princess knew it was better to respect his wishes.

Oaken’s words still rang clear in her mind, and considering her stubborn nature, it made the wait to see Kristoff a little easier. The last thing that she wanted anyone to consider her as was a distraction to his training or his fighting, and so she knew that it really was the wisest decision to bide her time and wait until things cooled down before she came to see him fight again.

That still didn’t mean that she had to like it, though.

.

.

.

“I want to see you again,” she murmured, her voice low and quiet and yet at the same time felt all too loud in the darkness of her large bedroom.

Anna had always been fond of the room. It had been her safe space for most of her life – a place of comfort and clarity and calm; even if it wasn’t always perfectly tidy or well put-together, like her sister’s. This was a place where she didn’t have to be a princess: it didn’t matter if she drooled all over her cushions or if she spilt anything on the floor, nobody cared if she left her clothes in a pile over by her wardrobe or if she forgot to take her pots down to the kitchen to be cleaned immediately after use. It had always been exactly what she wanted – all pink and frilly and girly and perfect.

Until now.

Now, the space felt too grand; too long and too wide, the walls too broad and the ceiling too high. The bed was far too large and the wardrobe too bare, and it all just felt too empty with her here, _alone_.

Anna found herself wishing that he was there to hold her. She knew that these thoughts were over-dramatic and silly – almost foolish of her to long so much for this man, this man who she isn’t even officially dating, this man who she hasn’t known for an awfully long time at all. And yet as they grow closer with each passing day, these feelings don’t simmer and shrink; they intensify.

After all, it’s been two weeks since Anna last saw him – he has been incredibly busy at work, and they can’t seem to find a moment where he is free for long enough for them to escape to somewhere secluded and private, away from prying eyes and camera phones – and yet it felt like forever.

He sighed softly down the phone, and Anna thought that he sounded almost guilty. She wondered – as she so often did – whether he longed for her just as much; whether he too thought himself to be ridiculous for his pining, whether his feelings were as intense as her own. 

“I know,” he agreed. “Me, too, but I -” he stuttered slightly over his words, and Anna smiled softly. “It’s not worth the risk of anyone seeing us yet.”

Anna knew that Kristoff was right, but that didn’t mean that she had to like it any more than she currently did. The pair of them had decided together to take things slowly; had opted not to rush into anything official, and also to keep everything between them as private as possible. 

Her family had been pleased to hear of it when she discussed it all with them – her father in particular, who hadn’t quite recovered as well as everyone else from the whole Hans debacle – and they seemed to have been pleasantly surprised when she explained that actually, it was mostly his preference to protect their privacy more so than her own wishes. 

Anna knew that the last thing that Kristoff wanted was any more media attention than he already had – he had made his dislike of even post-match interviews clear to her – and whilst it was refreshing to be involved with someone who didn’t welcome public attention, it didn’t actually make things much easier for her in terms of her ability to meet with him.

Before Anna could even think to stop herself, words tumbled freely out of her mouth; and although she spoke in a small, uncertain voice, she knew that he could hear her clear as day. “Can’t I come and see you?” she asked. “At - at your place.”

She blushed before the words were even out of her mouth, and she cringed inwardly at her sudden boldness. 

Kristoff hesitated for a minute, and Anna braced herself for the rejection that she had been sure would come; but she was pleasantly surprised – and relieved – to find that it didn’t.

“I - yeah,” Kristoff said, and whilst he sounded surprised, he didn’t sound unhappy, and the thought caused Anna to smile. “Sure. That... that could work.”

.

.

.

“You’ll share your location with me as soon as you get there?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll let me know where you’re sleeping?”

“Yes.”

“And if you need anything, then -”

“Elsa,” Anna said in a sing-song voice, although the threatening undertone behind it was definitely audible. 

Truth be told, the redhead hadn’t been paying much attention to her sister – instead, she had been finishing off combing through her hair so that the ends were smooth and free of knots, and her focus had remained steady on the reflection looking back at her in the mirror.

Anna was ecstatic. Her whole body tingled with excitement at the thought of spending the night at Kristoff’s place. It may not have been _proper_ , but nobody apart from her family and their trusted staff knew of her whereabouts, so it wasn’t as though Anna had to worry about some kind of crazy media scandal. 

Kristoff had an apartment that wasn’t too far from the gym that he frequented, but he also had a cabin that was way away from the hustle and bustle of the city; and that’s where Anna was meeting him this evening. It was a good ninety minute journey there – without traffic – so Kristoff had mentioned that she was welcome to stay if it made things easier for her, and whilst a part of her had debated saying no for the sake of propriety, she couldn’t find it within her to decline the offer.

She wasn’t sure what the arrangements would be. After all, Kristoff had described the place as his ‘cabin’, but Anna was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be a little shack in the middle of nowhere with a tiny bed and no electricity - especially since he had mentioned that he’d only bought it recently, one of his first big purchases after his contract was signed. 

Nevertheless, she decided that even if that’s what it was, then she didn’t care. She had longed for his company over the past sixteen days, and now she was finally getting the opportunity to see him once again. The two of them could stay in the stables for all that she cared – she just wanted to be with him.

From the other side of the dressing room that the two princesses shared, Elsa let out a sigh, but Anna continued to check over her appearance and wasn’t disheartened by the sound.

“I know, I know – I'm being overbearing, aren’t I?” Anna applied her final coat of lipgloss and smacked her lips together loudly, purposely not responding to the question. “But I can’t help it, Anna – you're my little sister.”

Anna couldn’t ignore _that_ comment, and she smirked playfully in the mirror.

“And you’re my sister, too; but you don’t see me interrogating you whenever you stay over at Honey’s place.”

The redhead didn’t even need to look over at Elsa to know that the blonde would be blushing at the mention of her girlfriend - her very _new_ girlfriend - and Anna held back the urge to giggle; thoroughly pleased with her ability to silence her sister relatively easily.

Deep down, Anna knew that Elsa meant well. She had a feeling that their father had most likely put her up to this – even if he hadn’t outright asked her to have the conversation, then he would have most likely been pestering Elsa with questions and expressions of his own worries about his youngest daughter. Anna could forgive him for that, too: her family may have respected her choice to pursue a romantic relationship with the boxer – after all, the reality was that none of them would have ever really been able to stop her from going after what she wanted - but that didn’t mean that they weren’t worried about her.

It wasn’t so much the fact that Anna was a princess – although there was that to consider, of course; especially when it came to media scrutiny and the possibility of paparazzi following their every move in an attempt to sell a story – but she was still recovering from the psychological damage that had been burned into her by her ex-boyfriend.

The whole mess that had been her short-lived, whirlwind relationship with Hans had been incredibly public. He had wanted the entire world to know about his budding relationship with the princess, had been eager to be seen with her out and about on his arm. Hans had made her believe that he wanted the world to know just how much he loved her, but the reality was that he wanted the world to think he was a good man for when he eventually attempted to break down the monarchy piece by piece.

It didn’t come as a surprise to Anna that her family appreciated the fact that Kristoff felt as though their meetings should stay as private as possible, and Anna was determined that she wasn’t going to mess this up – not for herself, not for Kristoff, and not for them, either.

“Anna,” Elsa sighed, and she sounded much closer now. Her tone was apologetic, and Anna appreciated that her sister must have felt far older than her years. “I just want you to be careful. _We_ want you to be careful. That’s all.”

There was a beat of silence, and then a cool, pale hand came to rest gently on her shoulder. Anna smiled softly and met her sister’s eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

“I know,” Anna said, and she hoped that her tone of voice truly conveyed the fact that she really did understand, and she didn’t necessarily hold that against her sister, either. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”


	12. Chapter 12

When Kristoff had told Anna that when he wasn’t based at his apartment in the city, then he would most likely be at his secluded cabin, the princess had pictured a cozy, simplistic structure hidden deep within the woods that was built with logs and wood and not much else. She could almost imagine how modest yet homely the whole space would feel, and the thought of potentially sharing close, enclosed quarters with him made her mind wander something chronic.

What she hadn’t expected was – well, _this_.

Anna wouldn’t necessarily describe this building as a _cabin_.

For a start, it was huge. It didn’t compare to the size of the palace that she had grown up in, but Anna was self-aware enough to appreciate that most buildings weren’t that large; but nor were they as large as this one. 

It stood at two stories tall and was made up of a light grey brick from the base that somehow managed to transition smoothly into a statement dark wood exterior that coated the second story. It was slightly raised rather than just being flat on the ground, meaning that there were around fifteen to twenty tall, stone steps that led up to the wide oak-coloured from door; and neatly cut plants and shapely bushes decorated both sides of the steps. 

The redhead found herself stuck in place for a long few moments whilst she attempted to take in all of the details of the building. It was only when she was disturbed by the sound of tires rolling across gravel – a sure indication that her driver was officially leaving her – that she shook her head softly and reminded herself that this was exactly why she needed to find out more about Kristoff. 

There was so much about his life that she didn’t know, and Anna desperately wanted to learn. 

Even from the exterior of the building, Anna could tell that this place was beautiful; effortlessly modern and sleek whilst somehow traditional all at once, and now that she was here, she thought that it seemed perfect.

It seemed like _him_.

Anna somehow managed to remember to send a message to Elsa to alert her sister of her safe arrival – just a simple _here!_ would do, she thought – before she moved to climb the steps that led up to the front door, and Anna had just raised her arm to knock upon the wood when the door opened inwardly.

It was always nice to see Kristoff, of course; but it was especially nice to see him now, considering the fact that it had felt like forever since the two of them were last together. 

So much had happened since then – he had won two more official fights as well as one that was kind of not official - alright, she still didn’t understand _that_ much about boxing _-_ and she had wanted nothing more than to be close to him whilst he celebrated those victories.

Instead, she had been what felt like miles away, tucked up behind the safety of the palace walls, respectful of his need for privacy and no distractions.

Anna practically beamed at the sight of him. He looked casual and comfortable in a pair of dark sweatpants and a white tee that outlined his biceps in the most glorious of ways. Anna had desperately wanted to play it cool and follow her sister’s advice to stay cool, calm and collected; but she was hopeless when it came to him, and she knew that the smile that lit up her face told him that. She did hold herself back somewhat, though; and pushed down the urge to launch herself right into his arms and have him hold her close.

The redhead was confident that he would be able to catch her with ease, but the last thing that she wanted to do was come on too strong to the man that she was unofficially dating, and so Anna restrained herself. 

Her fingers itched to reach out and touch him – to trace over his sharp jaw and strong nose and make sure that he was really there, honestly stood before her, and that this wasn’t some kind of dream or fantasy; but instead, Anna clasped her hands firmly together to keep them from wandering and bit down on her lower lip as she smiled up at him.

“Hi,” she breathed, unable to calm the huge grin that was spread across her face. 

She knew that she probably looked like an over-excited schoolgirl, but she was pleased to notice that Kristoff looked equally happy to see her, and his own smile met his eyes. The princess had originally found him to be incredibly difficult to read, but the more time that she spent with him, the more she was beginning to think that she could read him reasonably well after all.

For a long few seconds, the two simply stood firmly on the spot and stared at each other, and Anna was convinced that she could easily get lost in the warmth of his eyes, that she would quite willingly stand here all night long and just stare at him if he would allow her the chance. A happy sigh was about to escape her lips – mostly due to the relief that she felt at finally being here, in his company – but Kristoff spoke up and distracted her.

“Hi,” he said, still smiling softly, and Anna thought that she might melt on the spot.

Everything about this man was just so _good_ \- he wasn’t looking at her like she was a piece of meat that he wanted to chew up, but instead he was looking at her as though he was the happiest man alive just for the sake of seeing her.

Or, you know – something like that.

Kristoff pulled the heavy oak door further towards him so that the entry opened further for her whilst he simultaneously stepped backwards, allowing Anna to have more room to step into the cabin. Anna supposed that she did appreciate the politeness of his gesture – even if she wasn’t so keen on the idea of there being more space between the two of them. Anna wanted to be close to him; close enough so that she could smell his aftershave and count his freckles and feel his breath upon her lips. 

“Come on in,” he said, motioning for her to enter his cabin with one of his hands, and – not for the first time – Anna marveled at just how big his hands were.

Autumn was now upon them, and the evenings were growing colder with each day that passed. Kristoff had said something about snow just a few days ago, and Anna wouldn’t be surprised – it certainly felt cold enough for it. 

She shivered despite herself from where she stood on the porch, and she smiled gratefully at Kristoff as she stepped into the warmth of the building. The wide smile that had been sprawled across Anna’s face slowly turned somewhat shy as her wide eyes roamed around the inside of the cabin, although she was distracted momentarily by the sight of him stepping closer towards her.

Kristoff extended his arm towards her small body, and instead of flinching – which just a few months ago would have certainly been her instinctive reaction to such sudden movement – she found herself blinking at his outstretched hand for a moment, confusion evident upon her features. 

“Here,” he said. “Let me get that for you.”

Kristoff motioned towards the large duffle bag that she was carrying which contained everything that she would need for an overnight stay – ranging from toothbrush and toothpaste to shampoo and an eye mask and some of her nicest silk pyjamas – and Anna’s cheeks reddened immediately at the thought. The princess cleared her throat a little sheepishly as she handed the duffle bag over to him, although her embarrassment was soon forgotten when Kristoff pretended to almost drop the bag to the floor once he had a good grip of the handle.

“Geez,” he exclaimed, playfulness in his tone. “What did you bring? Your entire wardrobe?” Anna liked the way that he teased her – liked the way in which his face relaxed and brightened all at once when they bantered back and forth – and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Trust me,” she laughed, “you do not want to think about how many bags I would need if I was to actually take my full wardrobe anywhere.”

Kristoff chuckled – a low sound that rumbled in his chest and made Anna want to purr - before he motioned to the large staircase that was located on the other side of the long hallway. 

“I’ll just go and run this up to your room,” he said, the words so casual and yet equally crushing. 

Anna’s smile fell, and she knew that the disappointment would be evident on her face, but Kristoff didn’t act as though he noticed.

“My room?” she asked, her brows knotting together slightly, and Kristoff just blinked at her in response. It appeared as though he was equally confused by her confusion.

He cleared his throat and brought his free hand to rub at the back of his neck. 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, the staircase suddenly appearing to be _very_ interesting to him. “I figured, you know - I mean, you... you’re a princess and everything, so -”

Anna almost winced, but she somehow managed to stop herself, and instead she nodded her head once. 

“Don’t worry,” she interrupted, and she tried to keep the disappointment from seeping into her tone. After all, she supposed that it didn’t matter – not really. She always had a few tricks up her sleeve that she was sure she could pull off, and a separate bedroom to start things off wasn’t the most challenging obstacle to get around. “You’re right. It’s - it’s fine. Thank you, Kristoff.”

The blonde narrowed his eyes slightly as though he didn’t quite believe her, but he eventually nodded.

“Alright, then,” he said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced, either. “I won’t be a second.”

And then he was gone.

Anna watched as he made his way up the staircase, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the way that his dark joggers clung to his hips or the way in which his plain tee was almost sculpted to his body. Meanwhile, he was clearly very focused on the task at hand as he didn’t so much as glance back over his shoulder at her.

Once Anna could no longer see him as he disappeared up the stairs, she sighed softly and turned her attention to the seemingly endless display of framed photographs that littered the expanse of the wall in the hallway. She made several steps closer to the images and looked over as many as she could, a soft smile creeping onto her face as she studied the images. After a minute or so, she heard the tell-tale sound of feet padding softly down the staircase, although she didn’t bother to turn around to see him.

“Are these all of your family?” she asked, grinning at the sheer amount of people who were displayed on these images. The redhead was reasonably confident that the answer to her question was yes considering how alike all of the people in the pictures looked.

Well. All of them apart from Kristoff.

The boxer had alluded to having a large family before – had mentioned a couple of things in passing, the odd comment here and there that had suggested it; but Anna had never been able to relate. As a member of the royal family, she had an awful lot of extended family, sure; but none that she saw regularly, or that she would class as _real_ family. 

The only family that Anna had was her sister and their parents.

“Yep,” he said, “that’s them.”

His words were simple and effective, and Anna understood immediately that he didn’t want to talk about the matter any longer. 

Which, of course, was fine. He had never told Anna that he was adopted – it was something that she had found out when she initially googled him – but she didn’t want to press the issue if he wasn’t ready to discuss it with her. Instead, Anna’s light eyes quickly danced around the photo frames once again before she moved to follow Kristoff down the hallway.

“You hungry?” he asked, and before Anna could even answer his question, her stomach rumbled loudly.

.

.

.

The evening passed Anna by in a pleasant, uncomplicated blur; and she felt as though she was floating on air by the time that midnight passed them.

Before they could eat, Anna had one important introduction: Sven. She had heard so much about the friendly rottweiler – he was Kristoff’s main source of company, pretty much his best friend, and the two of them went most places together. She had told Kristoff all about her love of animals, and she had been incredibly excited to meet his canine companion.

Anna had _not_ been disappointed.

Sven was a handsome dog; broad and strong, just like his owner. His coat was shiny and thick, and it was clear that he was incredibly well looked-after. 

The dog lavished her with affectionate licks each time that she stroked him or scratched behind his ears, and Anna announced that she thought he liked her. Kristoff had rolled his eyes in her direction when she had put on her best puppy-slash-baby voice whilst talking to him - _Anna, come on, don’t talk to him like that_ \- but it hadn’t deterred her; and she had laughed heartily at the face that he had made when she continued.

Then, Kristoff had cooked for her – literally stood there in his own kitchen and prepared them both something to eat, from scratch, with his own bare hands. The meal had been nothing short of delicious; and Anna told him as much, which earned a soft blush and a wide grin.

She couldn’t recall the last time that she truly felt so full and content after a meal. All of her meals at the palace were homemade and cooked fresh, of course; but none of them came close to this. There was something incredibly intimate about it – about sitting across from Kristoff, her feet brushing his under the table, their eyes meeting over the food – and Anna found herself falling harder and harder for this man.

Her mind betrayed her briefly as she thought about the way in which Hans used to talk to her about salads and calories and the best way to prevent bloat; but those thoughts simmered away when Kristoff took her plate from her once she had finished and offered her seconds, and then thirds.

It had been perfect, and Anna so desperately wanted to stay awake – even as the clock ticked on well past midnight – but she was comfortable and cozy and warm and full, so she found herself yawning despite her best attempt to hold it back. Kristoff smiled at her softly, and she supposed that he looked a little tired, too. She wondered how early he had been up that morning so that he could train before she arrived, and the thought made her feel almost guilty for keeping him awake so late.

“I guess we should probably head to bed,” Kristoff murmured, and Anna hummed under her breath in semi-agreement. 

He was right, she knew; although neither of them made any effort to move from where they were seated close – but not too close – together on the couch.

After a few beats of peaceful silence, Sven let out a particularly loud snore from where he was lying at Kristoff’s feet, and the pair of them laughed at the interruption. Kristoff shook his head gently before his eyes danced across her face. 

“I have to train in the morning,” he told her, and Anna tried to swallow down her disappointment, hoping that it didn’t play out across her features. “But I’ve got the gym across the hallway in there, so – I mean, I was planning on probably getting up early to do that. And then I figured that we could go for a walk out in the woods. If you want to, of course - I - we don’t have to -”

“Kristoff, I would love that,” Anna commented simply, smiling up at him in affection at the way in which he blushed whilst he stumbled over his words. 

The redhead found near enough everything about this man to be so effortlessly charming, and she wanted nothing more than to lean over the couch and close the distance between the pair of them so that she could kiss him until they fell asleep.

Unfortunately for Anna, that fantasy wasn’t to be – not tonight, anyway – and Kristoff pulled himself upright so that he could move to clear their empty wine glasses. The redhead heard him deposit them in the kitchen sink, and he appeared in the doorway to the lounge just moments later. The sight of him leaning against the doorway with a casual ease – almost as if he had no idea how handsome he was – caused her breath to hitch in her throat, and Anna took it as her cue to join him and go to bed. She was tired, after all; and she smiled when he turned off the lights and left Sven snoring in the lounge.

Kristoff led Anna up the staircase and showed her to her room for the night, which he informed her was directly across the hall from his. Much like the rest of the cabin, the room was modern and simplistic with a traditional feel to it – mostly dark grey and white, although there was a feature fireplace in the centre of one of the walls – and Anna bit her lip at the sight of the duffle bag that he had carefully placed in the middle of the four-poster double bed.

“Well,” Kristoff started, his hand coming to rub at the back of his neck. 

Anna had noticed that he seemed to do that an awful lot whenever he was around her, and the redhead was curious as to why. She wondered whether she made the boxer feel as nervous and uncertain and generally awkward as he made her feel, and she bit back a grin at the thought of how they seemed to constantly dance around each other, more than likely feeling exactly the same without actually knowing it. 

“I guess that I should let you get some-”

Before he could finish, Anna had bit the bullet and decided that enough was enough. After all, she had waited weeks to see him again; had deliberated over turning up at the gym for days upon end, just so that she would be able to get her hands on him. The redhead was reasonably confident that Kristoff wanted her as much as she wanted him, so she stood up on her tiptoes and brought her palms to rest on either side of his face as she placed a long, soft kiss to his lips.

For a few beats, Kristoff was still; but it didn’t take him long to react to her movements, and he brought his huge hands to rest lightly upon either side of her waist. He seemed to instinctively pull her impossibly closer to him so that she was near enough pressed up against him, and Anna moaned into his mouth as the blonde deepened their kiss. She could taste the dinner they had eaten and the wine that they had drunk on his tongue, and she wanted nothing more than for him to pull her into his arms and carry her to bed.

Kristoff had other ideas, though, and he pulled away from their kiss much sooner than Anna would have liked him to. Her eyes were blown wide with desire as she looked up at him, her fingers curled into the exposed half of his biceps in an attempt to steady her; and although she saw the same desire reflected in his eyes, he stepped backwards from her and cleared his throat.

Anna felt as though she was in a slight daze, and although she smiled softly at his murmured words - goodnight, princess - she felt almost confused when she turned around and made her way into the guest bedroom. She closed the door behind her with a soft click but stood frozen to the spot, unable to move.

Anna didn’t want this distance between them. 

She wanted to be so close that she could feel the heat of his skin against her own, so close that she wouldn’t know where his body ended and hers started, so close that she could claim that they were one person. The princess didn’t want to pretend anymore; didn’t want to fight these feelings that burned within her, didn’t want to dance around him in an attempt to mask the hunger and desire that she felt towards him.

Anna didn’t want to keep missing out on something that she knew would be better than anything else she had ever had before.

Instead, Anna wanted more; and she had a feeling that she knew exactly how to get it.

.

.

.

Sixty minutes.

That’s how long she waited before the anxiety and nervousness bubbled over within her and she found that she just had to do _something_.

So, Anna pulled herself up from where she had been positioned across the four-poster bed and crept over towards the door. She had changed into the baby blue silk pyjama set that she had brought, knowing that Kristoff would be able to see an awful lot of her outlined through the thin material, and she left her hair to cascade in waves down her shoulders and back.

She bit down on her lip as she padded across the hallway and over to his room, and Anna knocked at the door five times – a rhythmic knock that she had kept from childhood – and pushed it open slightly, peering into the master bedroom.

It was difficult to really see much considering how dark it was, but Anna spotted him straight away. Kristoff was lying on his stomach in the centre of his king-sized bed, and he had pushed himself up slightly so that he could turn his head over his shoulder and look over at the doorway where Anna stood. He let out a disorientated noise, and Anna almost felt guilty for waking him.

 _Almost_.

“Anna?” he asked in a half-whisper, and she took it as an invitation to step closer into the bedroom. “Is everything okay?”

The redhead almost choked on her words – almost nodded her head up and down and apologised before she rushed out of the room – but she held her nerve. 

She wanted this. 

She wanted _him_. 

And she knew that she had to make the first move to get what she wanted.

“Kris,” she murmured back, and although she wasn’t sure of how well that he could see her in the darkness of his bedroom, she wrapped her arms around her waist anyway – just for emphasis. “I’m - I’m _cold_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even in an alternative universe, if there’s anything Kristoff hates Anna being, it’s cold :)


	13. Chapter 13

Anna almost felt guilty.

 _Almost_.

Kristoff looked so innocent and peaceful; all bleary-eyed and half-asleep, and the surprised noise that escaped his throat at her statement was so adorable that she almost melted into a puddle on his bedroom floor. 

The blonde – usually so tall and strong and kind of intimidating – seemed so vulnerable right now, with his hair tousled and messy and his jaw slack and relaxed. However, Anna was adamant that it didn’t matter how sweet or sleepy or comfortable he looked – she had to pluck up the courage to do this from somewhere, otherwise they would no doubt continue to progress at a snail’s pace until the tension killed her.

“Cold?” he murmured, repeating the words, and confusion was etched upon his face in the moonlight – almost as though he was processing what she had told him. 

He raised one thick palm to his face so that he could rub the heel of it against his closed eyes, and the action seemed to wake him up a little bit more, and Kristoff pushed himself further upright in the bed. He was still very much bracing himself on his defined arms, but Anna’s vision had significantly improved now that she had adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom, and she could now make out more of his taught shoulders and back.

The sight of his exposed golden flesh – and the thought of her hands trailing across it, her nails digging into the flesh there and causing it to redden, her lips trailing down and tasting the salt of his skin – caused her to shiver, which she supposed worked in her favour since she had told him that she was cold. 

Kristoff noticed – she could tell by the way that his face fell immediately and his brow furrowed – and he moved quickly in order to yank some of the covers next to him back, leaving an open space beside him. Anna’s heart pounded in his chest as she watched him move, and she knew exactly what command was about to slip out of his mouth before he spoke once more.

“C’mere.”

Anna tried her best not to appear too ecstatic about the invitation. After all, this was about practicality, of course – nothing more, nothing less. Just a case of... of warming up, and Kristoff, as per usual, was being the perfect gentleman.

Anna suddenly began to feel uncertain in her own skin and unsure of herself, and she hovered on the spot for a moment or two. Kristoff continued to look over his shoulder, waiting patiently for her to join him, and she inhaled deeply before she began to pad over the floor towards the large bed. Anna swallowed thickly as she climbed up onto the mattress and crawled across the bed towards him, positioning herself so that she was close to him in the space that he had created for her.

As she slowly but surely approached, Kristoff lowered himself back down on the bed without much care or effort. She put it down to the fact that he was tired, and she held back a chuckle. Once she had reached the empty space beside him, Anna carefully lay on her back next to him, although she purposely left a few inches of space between them whilst she inwardly cursed herself for her ridiculous ideas.

_Now what?_

This had all seemed like such an excellent idea when she had been lying across the hall in the guest bedroom that he had prepared for her, _alone_ , but now, Anna just felt silly for troubling him when he had been so peacefully sleeping. 

The redhead suddenly recalled how tired he had been before they said goodnight, and she remembered him mentioning that he would be waking up early again in the morning for training so that they would have the opportunity to do something mid-morning or early afternoon, and now she just couldn’t quite believe that she had acted so selfishly just because she didn’t want to keep it in her pants, or in _his_ pants, actually; and -

“C’mere,” Kristoff murmured again, although there was a little bit more meaning behind the words this time; and his voice seemed to be much louder now that she was so close to him. The hairs on her arms stood to attention at the feel of his warm breath meeting with the cool skin of her ear and the side of her neck, and before Anna could so much as blink, one large hand had flopped across her stomach and moved her in one barely-there tug so that the side of her body was pressed flush against Kristoff’s bare chest.

Anna could feel his heart pounding against her arm due to how tightly he had pressed her to him, and the redhead wondered whether he would have behaved like this towards her had he been truly awake, or whether the sleepiness that still lingered within him was causing him to be bolder with his actions. Regardless, she smiled.

“Shit,” he whispered, and Anna held back a giggle at the curse. “Anna, you’re freezing.”

She supposed that lying on top of the covers in nothing but a pair of tiny silk pyjamas will do funny things to a girl’s body temperature.

This time, Anna did giggle, and she tilted her chin up towards him slightly so that she could get a better look at him. God, he was so close, so much so that her nose almost brushed against his chin. 

“I told you that I was cold,” she whispered back, unable to fight the huge grin that danced across her features.

It was just the two of them here in the darkness of his bedroom – nobody else around for either of them to disturb – so there wasn’t necessarily any need for them to be whispering to each other. And yet she thought that it almost made this easier, almost made her feel nowhere near as awkward as she certainly would have felt otherwise. Plus, it was awfully nice to have him practically whispering in her ear.

Kristoff hummed low in his throat at her words, and the sound vibrated through his chest. His arm was still slung across her stomach, and Anna revelled in the weight of it; although he adjusted his position slightly so that he could rub his large, open palm up and down the length of her arm. The warm of his skin against her own was comforting, to say the least - she really had been cold - and Anna wondered just how hard she was going to fall for this sweet, gentle man who seemed to always know how to do the right thing.

“Can’t have that, now, can we?” he murmured in response, and Anna could tell by his tone that he was teasing her. 

The thought thrilled her – over the last few months, she felt like she had really grown to know him, even if she hadn’t had the chance to see him as often as she would have liked. Anna noticed the smirk that danced across his lips, too, and she nudged his ribs ever so gently with her elbow, which was still firmly pressed against his bare chest.

His own eyes were closed, so he couldn’t see the way that hers twinkled as they roamed over his face; taking every inch of him in from this new position, this unfamiliar angle. She wondered whether he wanted more, the same way that she did. 

After all, it was incredibly tempting – he was so close, so warm and inviting in his comfortable bed; and the blanket of darkness that enveloped them did the world of goods for her nerves. The fact that he probably wouldn’t have been able to make out how red her face was if he opened his eyes certainly helped to boost her confidence. So, when Kristoff tilted his chin ever so slightly in a movement that brought his lips impossibly closer to her jaw, she knew that she had to bite the bullet and go for it before the moment passed.

Anna had never prided herself on being sexy or seductive, but god, she wanted to try.

“Why don’t you warm me up, then?” she whispered, and she kept her breath as steady as she could. 

The hand that had been gently rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing motion in an attempt to warm her suddenly stopped, and it rested completely still against her elbow. Kristoff’s jaw tensed ever so slightly and his shoulders stiffened, but Anna inhaled slowly and took his reaction to be more from shock at her words rather than an outright rejection.

Before either of them could overthink it, Anna moved her face so that she could press a soft, tender kiss to his lips.

When they had shared kisses previously, Kristoff had often been hesitant. He had allowed her to lead him, to set the pace; and though he had always followed her with willingness and enthusiasm, he had typically kept his hands to himself and kept it all very simple. Anna hadn’t ever thought much of it – she had always thoroughly enjoyed kissing him, always found it to be pleasurable and satisfying – but here in the warmth of his bed and the darkness of his room, something changed; and the redhead realised just how much of himself the boxer had been holding back from her.

Because this time was different.

Kristoff moved his hand from where it had been resting against her elbow, and her arm suddenly felt cooler once again without the warmth of his skin against it; however, he brought that hand up so that he could cup her cheek and jaw, and she sighed pleasantly into his mouth when he used his other arm in order to prop himself further upright in the bed so that he could lean his body over her own and deepen their kiss.

Her tongue swept against his in practiced ease – the more that they did this, the more that Anna found herself knowing what to expect, knowing what he liked the most – and she moaned as he reciprocated the movement. The taste of him overwhelmed her, and she wanted _more_. One of her hands came to rest against the back of his neck to pull him closer, and she dug her nails into the soft hairs at his nape whilst the other landed against one of his biceps.

His arm seemed to instinctively tense underneath her pliant touch, and Anna _swooned_.

They kissed for what easily could have been hours - it wasn’t, of course - and Anna began to worry that he wasn’t going to progress this any further, that he was just going to carry on kissing her and then let it simmer out as he had done on previous occasions. With that in mind, she arched her back so that she could push her chest impossibly closer against his own and attempted to lock both of her legs around his waist in the hopes of spurring him on a little further.

Kristoff seemed to get the gist of what she was attempting to do as she furiously wriggled beneath him, and he pulled away slightly, although her grip on the back of his neck meant that she could chase his lips easily. 

“Anna -” he started, shaking his head as she peppered his jaw with wet kisses. “I - I -”

Anna shushed him as she continued to kiss up to his ear, and she moaned in satisfaction when she finally managed to lock her legs around his thighs and press her core against the hard length of him. Her silk pyjamas and his cotton joggers didn’t do an awful lot to act as much of a barrier between them, and Kristoff hissed as she rubbed herself against him, his forehead dropping heavily against her own.

Anna had never been the most confident, self-assured person, and she had always managed to find fault in her reflection. She hadn’t ever truly loved her pale, freckled skin, nor had she ever embraced her auburn hair. Instead, she had longed for her mother’s tanned hue and her father’s blonde locks. 

Hans had told her often enough that her whole demeanor screamed cute rather than sex-appeal, and she had spent most of her time with him wondering how she could be better, how she could go about dressing more for her age whilst still being proper. She had experimented with different make-up and hair styles, but they had all still left her wanting; and in the end – once their relationship broke down – Anna had grown to accept that there might not actually be anything wrong with being cute.

Now, with her body pressed so tightly against Kristoff’s, she didn’t feel insecure at all. In fact, her confidence soared. She loved the way that she felt so small beneath him – the way in which his huge hands and thick fingers could wrap around her so easily thrilled her, and the sheer size of him above her made her feel so safe and content. She loved the way that he couldn’t seem to keep his fingers from running through her hair, or the way that his eyes traced the freckles on her shoulders; and the hard length of him pressed against her made her love her body in a whole new way.

He wanted her. She could feel just how much.

“Kristoff, please,” she whined, and though Anna really didn’t want to have to beg him, she thought that she might burst if he didn’t at least _touch_ her. “I want to. I really, really want – want you.”

The blonde groaned at her words, and he nipped on her bottom lip before he pulled away once more, and Anna instinctively dug her nails into his bicep.

“Anna,” he panted, his voice strained, and she instinctively ground herself against him at the sound. He responded to her movement by pushing himself against her, though he shook his head softly. “I - we can’t,” he murmured, and her eyes squeezed tightly to a close.

“You can,” she whispered before she lightly nipped on the bottom of his earlobe with her teeth. “Kristoff, you can. _We_ can.”

She wasn’t prepared for this, wasn’t ready for him to not give into what they both wanted simply because of who she was, and Anna moaned as Kristoff ground his hard length against her once again. 

She tugged at the short hairs at the back of his neck in order to guide him towards her. The blonde quickly took the hint and moved his face towards hers so that they could resume with their passionate kisses, and Anna’s legs trembled when he licked into her mouth. 

She was quickly losing herself in him, drowning in excitement of what was next to come, and the redhead wondered what else he could do with that skilled tongue.

He broke their kiss once again so that he could pepper kisses across her jawline, and Anna hummed in approval.

“What do you want, Anna?” he panted into her ear, and Anna moaned at his words as she felt his heart pound within his chest. 

They were pressed together so tightly, and she had never felt anything like this before – had never wanted a man so much in her life – and she trembled when his hot breath blew into her ear. 

Anna scrambled, quickly losing all sense of coherent thought as he placed a kiss behind her ear. 

“Touch me,” she moaned, and he obliged immediately. 

Kristoff’s hand wandered towards the elastic waistband of her silk pyjamas, and he didn’t hold back when he groaned loudly and dropped his face to her shoulder at the realisation that she wasn’t wearing any panties.

”Fuck, Anna, are you trying to kill me?” he hissed, and before she could think of something smart to say in response, his thick fingers met her wet centre. 

They both moaned simultaneously, and Anna found that her release was building sweetly within her.

The redhead attempted to part her legs wider in order to give him greater access, but her silk shorts were far too restrictive, so she released his bicep and moved her arm to tug at the waistband of her shorts. Anna lifted the lower half of her body into the air in order to ease the process, and Kristoff quickly caught up with what she was attempting to do, and he used his free hand to pull her shorts down the length of her legs.

The blonde pushed himself backwards so that he could sit up on his knees, and Anna whimpered at the loss of his thick fingers from her damp folds as well as the loss of his warmth. She shivered from the sudden change in temperature, but Kristoff didn’t seem overly concerned – in fact, he smiled softly as he pulled her shorts away from her ankles and tossed them aside.

Once again, Anna was grateful for the darkness that blanketed them and the way that it hid her sudden embarrassment at the fact that she was near enough completely bare before him. She propped herself up slightly on her elbows so that she could attempt to see his expression a little clearer in the moonlight that seeped through the small crack between the curtains, and Anna swallowed thickly as he tapped two of his fingers against her ankles, encouraging her to spread her legs for him.

A blush started from the top of her head and covered her right down to her toes, and even though she trembled slightly with anticipation, Anna obliged.

She heard Kristoff inhale sharply as she moved, and she almost winced at the sound, completely unsure of what it meant and how he felt. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she attempted to watch him for any signs of hesitation, but instead, she was surprised to find hunger and something akin to awe on his face.

For a couple of seconds – and for what felt like forever – Kristoff remained completely still, and the princess didn’t even hear him exhale. He eventually opened his mouth to speak as he leaned ever so slightly towards her once again, and Anna’s heart raced within her chest as he approached. 

“Can I?” he asked her, his voice low and thick with arousal, and Anna didn’t even know what he was asking permission for, hadn’t the slightest idea as to what he wanted to do with her, or to her; but she nodded her head vigorously anyway, desperate for him to just do _something_ to relieve the throbbing ache between her legs.

Kristoff let out a low breath as she nodded, and Anna thought that he almost sounded relieved; and then before she really knew what he was doing, his huge hands were cupping the backs of her knees – keeping her legs firmly held in place, open wide so that he had more than enough room to access her – and his tongue licked up the entire length of her slit.

Anna squealed at the sensation, but the surprised sound that she made didn’t deter him. If anything, it spurred him on; and Anna bucked against his face when he placed his lips over her clit and sucked. 

The redhead was incredibly glad that it was just the two of them out here in the middle of nowhere, because there was absolutely no way that she could have kept quiet, even if she had tried her hardest.

The feel of his firm, wet tongue probing her folds had Anna quivering in no time at all, and she moaned in delight when he released his grip on one of her legs so that he could push one, then two thick fingers inside of her. Everything about him made her feel so _full_ , and the way that she marveled at how just his fingers stretched her so wonderfully caused her to imagine how glorious it would feel when he finally entered her himself.

The thought of Kristoff pushing his cock inside of her – along with the feel of his tongue furiously lapping at her clit whilst his fingers worked within her – caused Anna to gasp in pleasure, and her fingers released from the fists that they had made in the bed sheets so that they could desperately pull at his hair.

Anna was probably a little too firm with the way that she yanked the blonde strands so that she could bury his face impossibly closer to her, and Kristoff let out a small, surprised noise against her. He didn’t stop, though – instead, he picked up the pace as if he understood exactly what she needed, and Anna chanted his name like a prayer.

“Please,” she gasped, her chest heaving and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. “Oh, god, Kris, _please_ -”

He sucked on her clit once more whilst he curled his fingers within her, and Anna practically shrieked as she came. Her thighs trembled as they clenched tightly against his head, and she half-laughed, half-panted as the orgasm stretched on and on. 

Eventually, the tingling within her feet and her legs eased off, and Anna’s breathing settled at a normal rate once again.

Anna hadn’t realised that Kristoff had pushed himself backwards so that he was once again sat back on his knees, his face no longer buried comfortably between her legs; and she whined sadly when he released his fingers from inside of her. She immediately missed the closeness of him, and although she had literally just found her release, Anna still shivered in arousal when he brought the back of his hand up to his mouth and wiped the remnants of her orgasm away.

Kristoff was panting, too; his bare chest covered in sweat, and Anna weakly dropped her knees and scooted so that she could lie on her side, facing towards the spot where she knew that he would return. He watched her intently for a moment before he swallowed thickly and lowered himself down – with much more care than he had done earlier – so that he could lie down beside her.

As Anna had predicted, he lay on his side, facing her; so close that their noses brushed against each other, and he gently rested one of his palms on her bare side. It felt so surreal – the fact that she was here in his bed, wrapped up so tightly with him, the heady scent of her come in the thick air between them – and she burrowed her face into the soft pillow, smiling softly as she looked up at him.

God, she could get used to this.

“Better?” Kristoff asked her, his voice still thick with arousal as it broke the outstretched yet peaceful silence between them. 

Anna led out a pleased hum in answer to his question, and she rested both of her palms flat against his muscular chest as she leaned in to place a wet kiss against his mouth. He responded lazily to her, his tongue no longer dominating hers as it had done before, and Anna moaned at the foreign taste of herself as she licked into his mouth.

“Much better,” she sighed dreamily. The redhead pulled back enough so that she could affectionately nudge her nose against his own before she raked her fingers down the length of his bare chest and taught abdomen, creeping closer and closer to his throbbing length. “Now it’s your turn,” she murmured as she smiled against his lips, but before the words had fully fallen from her tongue, Kristoff’s hand released her hip so that he could pause her ministrations by wrapping his thick fingers around her wrist.

“Anna,” he groaned, and she could hear the plea in his voice. “I mean it - I _can’t_. Oaken would kill me,” he explained, and the redhead frowned.

“What?” she asked, her brows furrowed together deeply. “Why? What’s it got to do with him?”

Kristoff chuckled at her defensive tone, and he released her wrist so that he could brush some of her damp hair away from her sweaty forehead. He placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, and then between her eyebrows, and Anna found her face instinctively relaxed under his affection. 

“Calm down, feisty pants,” he teased, and Anna’s blue eyes danced at his tone. “I - it’s part of my training. I’m... I’m supposed to abstain from... well, you know. I’ve got to be celibate.”

Anna balked. “Celibate?” she asked, disbelief clear in her tone. “Is he for real? Why? That’s the most out-dated thing that I’ve ever heard, and I'm a princess!”

Kristoff chuckled heartily, his fingers now busy combing through the tangled strands of her hair, and although Anna was incredibly confused, she still found herself gazing up in wonder at this man. This man who was so soft and so careful with her and yet so strong and so capable in the ring. This man who pleasured her with every ounce of effort that he could muster whilst he expected nothing at all in return.

This man who she was helplessly falling for. _Hard_.

“I know it sounds stupid,” he said, focusing on releasing a small knot in her auburn strands. “But they’ve put it in my contract and everything. Until the season’s over, we can’t - I can’t... you know.” He let out a low sigh, and despite the sudden change in mood, Anna was still aware of how sticky her thighs were. “The tension is supposed to be good for the fighting. Or something.”

Anna huffed, not amused. 

“And you believe that?” she asked him, her tone of voice softer than she had thought it would be, and she gazed up at him uncertainly. 

The last thing Anna wanted to do was offend him if this was something that he actually believed in, and no matter how strongly she wanted him, Anna knew in her heart that she wouldn’t - couldn’t - push him on this: she would respect his beliefs and his wishes, no matter her own.

Kristoff snorted at her question. “Not really,” he admitted. The knot in her hair was released, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. “But I guess that it’s worked so far. And the season’s nearly over - I've got four more fights and then I’m done for at least a couple of months, so I figured that... you know. It would be worth the wait.”

Anna blushed at his words.

“Besides,” he said, and Anna could tell that sleep was slowly seeping its way back into him; could feel how relaxed his body now felt against her, could feel the hard throbbing in his joggers gently easing off, could hear the tiredness creeping back into his voice. “I know it sounds insane, but I swear Oaken would know if – if I had. If we had.”

Anna let out a gentle sigh and moved so that she could wrap her arms around his waist in a gentle hug. Kristoff raised his head and pulled her closer towards him so that her face was no longer level with his own; instead, his chin rested on top of her head, his arms wrapped around her upper body so that his palms could continue to smoothen her hair, and Anna sighed gently against his chest.

“You should get some sleep,” she whispered to him, her lips brushing against his skin gently. Kristoff simply hummed in agreement, and Anna smiled happily as she felt the sound vibrate through his throat and his chest.

 _God_ , she was so happy.

“Goodnight, Kristoff,” she murmured to him, and he tugged on the ends of her hair once last time before sleep pulled them both in.

“Goodnight, princess,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams.”


	14. Chapter 14

“And what about you, Anna – how was your weekend?”

The question surprised her since she was still half-asleep and hadn’t been paying much attention to the various conversations that had been had over breakfast that morning, and Anna almost choked on the tea that she had been sipping as a result; though somehow, she managed to compose herself enough to keep it together. 

Her father, mother and sister were all looking over at her expectantly; although the hint of an amused twinkle in Elsa’s eyes didn’t go amiss since the blonde already knew most of the details about Anna’s weekend with Kristoff. 

Anna offered the three of them a closed-lip smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes and cleared her throat before she spoke.

“Ah - it was great, actually, thanks for asking,” she responded, her tone as neutral as she could possibly keep it. 

Her father nodded his head, his eyes locked on hers as he sipped from his teacup, and she wondered whether he noticed the way in which her cheeks reddened at the question. Kristoff’s head buried between her thighs is _not_ what she wanted to think about at that moment, and she tried her best to focus on the conversation at hand in order to keep the memory at bay. 

“And what of this man – Mr Bjorgman – that you’ve been seeing?” he continued, and Anna just about managed to stifle a groan at his words.

This was a conversation that she had been actively avoiding for some weeks now. Anna knew without a shadow of a doubt that her father’s advisors would have briefed him about her budding relationship with the young boxer, particularly after the whole _prince fisticuff’s_ situation. He was the King, after all, and she was his youngest daughter; so Anna wasn’t naïve enough to believe that any of the palace aids would keep the budding romance a secret from him on her behalf. 

It wasn’t just that, either - all things considered, Anna was confident that her mother would have spoken to him about it, too; so she supposed that there really wasn’t really any need to tell him things that he already knew.

Clearly, her father was in the mood to torture her, and the look that he gave to her from over the table made it quite clear that he was more than eager to hear about Kristoff directly from her. 

Anna’s mouth opened and closed several times as she attempted to find words - _any_ words - but she wasn’t sure what it was that he wanted or expected her to say. 

“Well,” Anna started, clearing her throat once more. “What exactly would you like to know?”

Agnarr didn’t miss a beat. “What are your intentions with him?”

This time, Anna _actually_ choked on her tea.

Elsa’s lips quirked slightly, but her sister was incredibly talented at concealing her true feelings, so she managed to keep a straight face despite Anna’s coughing episode. The redhead fanned herself as she placed the teacup back down, and attempted to make her tone light and playful.

“Isn’t this conversation a little - you know, _heavy?_ For breakfast?”

The King cocked his head to one side as he looked over the table at his youngest daughter, and the confusion that spread across his features caused Anna to relax a little bit. It wasn’t as though she actually _wanted_ to be on edge around her family, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel as though she wanted to hold details of Kristoff closer to her chest than she had done in the past. 

Her father opened his mouth to continue, but her mother interrupted him before he could. “What your father is trying to say, Anna, is that we would love to meet him sometime.”

Agnarr nodded in agreement. “Yes. Sometime. Sometime soon.”

It wasn’t as though the suggestion came as a complete surprise - after all, she had known that it would have only been a matter of time before her parents wanted to meet the man that she had been courting, even though he hadn’t _officially_ asked her to be his girlfriend yet. 

She had a feeling that Kristoff might think it to be too soon to consider such things - after all, it was still very much early days for them both - but things were different when you were royalty, although she wasn’t sure exactly how she would explain that to him. 

“I - well, I can always ask him,” she said as she shuffled against the plush chair, and her mother smiled brightly. 

“That would be lovely, dear,” she said, and after a beat of silence, the Queen turned to look over at her husband and put Anna out of her misery by moving the conversation on. “So, Agnarr; you never told me if you managed to get in touch with King Frederick.”

Anna’s shoulders sagged in relief at the change of conversation, and her light blue eyes flickered over to where Elsa was sat to the right of their father. 

The blonde gave her an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up before she turned her own attention back to the newspaper that had been left open in front of her, and Anna raised the teacup to her lips once again.

.

.

.

“So, Bjorgman – I hear that congratulations are in order. _Again_.”

Anna couldn’t help herself but to beam into the phone as she rolled over in her bed, her light eyes wide and bright even in the darkness of her bedroom. 

It was late – almost one o’clock in the morning – but she had stayed up to livestream his fight, and since it had been the final one of the evening - the _title fight -_ it had only finished a good half an hour or so ago. 

As was their routine now, Anna knew that Kristoff would have contacted her at the first opportunity he got following the fight – usually after he had been checked over by his medical team and had a debrief with his management – and so she had waited up for him. Her eyes had just begun to droop to a close when he had sent her a simple text - _you awake?_ \- and she had called him immediately.

Anna could practically hear the boxer roll his eyes at her through the phone, and _god_ , she wished that she was there with him so that she could watch his cheeks darken at her teasing praise. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively. “All in a day’s work.”

The redhead hummed as she twirled one finger around the ends of her hair. 

“I wish I could have been there,” she sighed, and she knew that she sounded sad – if not out-right desperate – but she had never been good at hiding how she felt from people, particularly those closest to her; and she wanted Kristoff to know just how much she wanted to see him.

It had only been a couple of days since they were last in each other’s company at his cabin, and they spent most of their nights talking on the phone to make up for the fact that his busy training schedule often meant that he couldn’t speak to her so much during the day; but the closer that they grew, the more that Anna found herself wanting to be with him in every way possible. 

Playing hard to get had never been her forte, but thankfully, it didn’t seem to be Kristoff’s, either.

“Me, too,” he sighed, and Anna noticed how _exhausted_ he sounded. 

He was young and healthy, fit and strong; but even she could see how intense his training schedule was, and she knew that he couldn’t wait to finish up for the season just so that he could catch his breath and tread water for a short while. Kristoff had briefed her about what this all meant - how he would still be fighting, but the matches wouldn’t be so regular and intense - and he would certainly have an awful lot more freedom when it came to his schedule.

And then after eight months, it would start up all over again.

But right now, eight months sounded like a glorious amount of time to have him more to herself. She still had her own duties and responsibilities - mostly representing the charities that she was patron of - but she had already started to think about how the two of them could almost _collaborate_ in some way. 

Kristoff had been busy in other aspects of his life, too. Over the last few weeks, he’d been searching for the perfect place for his family, but he’d struggled to find anywhere that seemed to fit what it was that he was looking for; and so in the end, he’d purchased a large plot of land that wasn’t too far away from his cabin, and in between training and fights, interviews and advertisements, he had been involved in planning a development for the Bjorgman clan. 

It sounded as though it would be a life-changing move for all of his family, especially considering the fact that he had confessed to her how he’d only ever come into professional boxing in the hopes of helping his mother to pay off her mortgage. 

Well - look at him now.

“I just - it’s three more fights, Anna,” he continued, the sound of his voice interrupting her train of thought; and she wondered whether he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was trying to reassure her. 

She wondered whether he was lonely without her, too; if he longed for the moments that they’d shared together just as much as she did, if he wanted her close again -

“I know,” she told him, “I’m being spoiled, aren’t I?” 

“Nah,” he said, “you? _Never._ ”

Anna bit down on her bottom lip as she grinned. 

“I’ll be sure to remind you of that.”

Despite the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, Anna let out a gentle sigh, and her eyes softened as she blinked up at the ceiling. 

The dark blanket of the night’s sky combined with the quietness of her surroundings made her bolder and braver than usual, and she might not have been his girlfriend, might not have had any real, technical claim over him; but she was falling for him - _hard -_ and the words fell from her tongue effortlessly. 

“I miss you.”

She held her breath for the few seconds that he didn’t speak, and when he let out a long exhale, she did the same.

“I know. I - I miss you, too.”

Anna so very nearly let out an excited squeal, but she managed to retract the noise and grinned instead. Her cheeks almost hurt from all the smiling that she’d been doing whilst on the phone to him, and whilst she had no idea what she was supposed to say back to him now, she didn’t _care._

Right now, she felt as though she was floating; her heart pounding wildly and her hands trembling with giddy excitement, and she was convinced that nothing could possibly take her higher than she already was in that moment - 

And then he asked her whether she had any plans for tomorrow. 

.

.

.

“I just - I guess I just don’t get it. Why would they want to meet me?” Kristoff asked, and Anna looked up from where she had been absent-mindedly scrolling through her phone just in time to watch him land another fierce punch directly into the centre of the dark bag. 

When Kristoff had asked her whether she had made any plans for today, he had hurriedly told her that - as with most days between fights - he didn’t have much choice but to spend the majority of it training at the gym; but that if she wanted, then she could join him there. 

She had readily agreed, and even though Kristoff had won another fight the night before, the blonde seemed to be really feeling the pressure now that there were only three more fights remaining - especially since the media were really hyping him up for not having lost one single fight in his career.

Kristoff had rolled his eyes when she asked him about it and informed her that his career had only started that season, but Anna had simply bumped her shoulder playfully against his bicep and called him out on his grouchiness. Still, he seemed pretty convinced that a fall from grace was going to come his way sooner or later, though he told her how he hoped that it wouldn’t be this season so that he could make as much profit as possible to put towards his savings and the properties that were in development.

Which was why Anna was currently sprawled out across one of the padded yoga mats on the gym floor; phone in one hand, water bottle in the other whilst Kristoff went at it with the punching bag. 

From where he was dozing with his head resting on her knee, Sven let out a huff, and Anna gave the rottweiler an affectionate pat on the head as she looked over at Kristoff once more.

“Why _wouldn’t_ they want to meet you?” she countered. 

Realistically, she knew that the prospect of meeting the King and Queen must be somewhat nerve-wracking - if not terrifying - for him, but she hoped that she was enough for him to want to do it anyway, regardless of how intimidating or pomp or overall intense the whole affair seemed.

The boxer still had his back to her, and she watched as he bounced on the spot from foot to foot; always so light on his feet despite the height and width and weight of him, and for the first time, Anna wondered whether he was a good dancer, too. 

“Remember what I told you about – about Hans?”

The princess couldn’t be certain, but she was pretty sure that Kristoff punched the bag harder than he had done previously at the mention of her ex-boyfriend.

He nodded his head once before he squatted lower and punched the bag several times in quick succession, and it suddenly dawned upon her that Kristoff was able to see her watching him workout due to the floor-length mirrors that adorned the walls of the gym. Nevertheless, Anna pushed through her embarrassment – after all, he had to have _some_ idea of the effect that he had on her as he relentlessly worked away at the bag, the muscles in his biceps and his back tensing and squeezing in the most delicious of ways.

She couldn’t focus on the glory of his toned body now, though – she had some explaining to do.

“Well, after everything that happened with him, and the way that the media kind of blew it out of proportion, I suppose I kind of... _changed_.” 

She winced at the memory - of tear stained cheeks and tubs of chocolate ice cream, of late nights reading article after article after article - but she continued on. 

“So. Everyone was a little worried for a while, I guess. Not that I – I mean I would never _do_ anything, obviously; but I was hurt and upset and angry and confused, and I just felt kind of… I don’t know. _Stupid_.”

She sighed once more before she licked her lips and continued.

“Alright, actually, I felt _really_ stupid; like I’d just embarrassed my whole family in front of the _entire_ world, so I just sort of… I mean, I didn’t _mean_ to, but I guess looking back, I hid in my room for the longest time and didn’t really bother going out anywhere anymore.”

Anna inhaled a deep breath before she carried on with her explanation, and she realised that Kristoff had paused in his workout to listen to her.

“I started to push through it - started to feel more like myself again, and then one night, Elsa convinced me to come out with her and Honey and Olaf. Well, she sort of guilted me into it, actually. To watch this... this boxing fight,” she said, and Anna couldn’t fight the smile that danced across her features. “And that’s where I... well, where I met you. And I’ve been really happy ever since.”

The blonde turned around slowly so that he was half-facing towards her, and from this angle, she could make out the beads of sweat that trickled down his biceps as well as the muscular outline of his abdomen. 

Anna wanted to reach out to him; to wipe the damp hair away from his forehead, to gently cleanse his salty skin with her tongue, but there was a time and a place for everything, and here was _not_ it.

Besides; her whole face felt as though it was on fire with her confession, so she couldn’t meet his heated gaze as she continued.

“And I know that it’s a bit much, and it’s probably moving kind of – I don’t know, _fast_ , so it’s not as if I expect you to meet them right now or anything. But they’re my family, and they had to deal with the repercussions of what happened last time, too, and – and I think that more than anything else, they just really want to meet the man who makes me smile so much.”

Silence stretched between the two of them for what felt like an awfully long time, and Kristoff eventually began to make his way towards her just as Anna started to wonder whether she was missing something.

Despite the long length of Kristoff’s legs, the strides that he took now were rather short – almost as if he were being extra careful as he padded over to where she was sat – and his arms hung lowly by his sides. The boxing gloves that he always wore when he worked on the bag were still attached to his hands, and Anna swallowed thickly – her mouth suddenly dry – when he eventually reached her and crouched down into a low squat so that he could look her in the eyes. 

Kristoff’s own lips quirked up a little as he looked over at her, and he cocked his head at Sven – who was now drooling on the denim material of Anna’s jeans – before he spoke, his eyes locked onto her own. 

“You know,” he said, and his voice was low and thick in a way that made Anna shiver involuntarily. “You make me really happy, too.”

Anna’s lips parted as she longed to think of something to say back to him, but her mouth and throat suddenly felt incredibly dry, and she couldn’t conjure anything up quickly enough. Thankfully, Kristoff didn’t seem to be deterred by her silence, and he continued.

“I - I’ve never really done this before, Anna. I’m not... I’ve never had a real girlfriend, or anything kind of serious.”

 _Girlfriend_.

Is that what he thought of her as?

“And you’re - shit, Anna, you’re a _princess_ , and I don’t even know what half of your life even _means_. You have chauffeurs, and fancy cars, and you live in a palace, and you - I -”

Anna was so caught up in the confused tone of his voice and the struggle that she could sense in his words that she completely forgot that Sven was using her as his personal pillow, so she rushed to pull herself up to her knees in front of him. The rottweiler let out a huff when his head slid down to the yoga mat, but he seemed to accept her apology rather quickly and closed his eyes after a few seconds.

The redhead returned her attention to his owner, and she didn’t fight the urge to reach up to cup his face. Even from their position – with him crouched and her kneeling – he was so much taller than her, and Anna smiled softly up at him.

“Kristoff,” she murmured, and she hoped that everything that she needed to tell him could be read in her eyes. “None of that matters.” 

He didn’t look too convinced, and Anna held his jaw a little more firmly; and for what had to be the first time, she wished that he was wearing a shirt so that she could fist her hands into its collar and tug him down to her. 

“I mean it, it doesn’t. I couldn’t care less if you were raised in a forest in the middle of a mountain -”

“- you know, that’s not actually too far from the truth -”

“I’d like you just as much, anyway,” she finished with a knowing smirk. “I really don’t expect you to come and meet them right now, or, you know, in the immediate future – but I just want you to know that they want to meet you. And trust me – they’re going to _love_ you.”

 _Just like I want to_ , she thought to herself. _Just like I will_.

Anna knew deep down that she didn’t love Kristoff yet, but she knew that it would only be a matter of time: she was already so far gone on this man, and with each day that passed, she seemed to fall for him a little harder.

The boxer let out a quick huff at her words, but he seemed amused, which boosted her confidence and helped her to feel at least somewhat successful with all of this. Her palms were still cupping his jaw, and Anna caressed one of his stubbled cheeks with her thumb, reveling in the way in which the short hairs tickled her skin.

“Not as much as my family are going to love you,” he murmured, and Anna could tell from the way in which his dark eyes widened slightly that he hadn’t planned on saying that out loud to her. 

She was almost certain that he wouldn’t backtrack on his statement, but before he could open his mouth to say anything more, she leaned forwards and kissed him until the words died on his tongue.


	15. Chapter 15

It was a Thursday when Anna woke up to the sound of her phone ringing, and ringing, and ringing; but finally, it stopped, and she smiled into the warmth of her soft pillow. 

Blissful silence surrounded her once again, and Anna’s imagination wandered back to golden skin and fair hair and strong arms that hold her body so effortlessly -

The sound of her phone ringing disturbed her once more, and with a groan, the princess forced open one eye in a half-squint to see who was guilty of pestering her at such a ridiculous hour.

 _Olaf_.

It’s the fourth time that he has rang her in the last couple of minutes, and so with a huff, she answered the call before it could cut off once again. Anna didn’t bother to bring her phone to her ear, and instead opted to press the speaker button so that she could re-close her eyes and bury her cheek into her pillow once again.

“Olaf,” she managed to get out before he could say anything to her, and though she hoped that her tone of voice was threatening, she had a feeling that her friend would immediately be able to pick up on the vague amusement that lingered in her voice as she spoke. “You do realise that it’s not even nine o’clock yet, right? In the _morning_?”

“Anna,” Olaf said, and although she was still half-asleep, she thought that her friend sounded almost relieved as well as a little out of breath, and both of those factors caused her brows to to furrow in concern. 

This was _odd_ , to say the least, and very unlike him. 

“Oh, thank _god_ you finally answered. Do you know how many times I’ve tried calling you?”

“Well, I -”

“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupted, “have you checked your phone yet?”

The question threw her off guard, and Anna’s frown deepened as she slowly opened both of her eyes. Sunlight had started to seep through the thick curtains, illuminating her bedroom in a soft yellow glow that was gentle on her tired eyes. 

“I - no, not yet. Should I have?” she rubbed the heel of her palms against her eyes before panic immediately began to fill her. “Olaf, what’s wrong? Is everything okay? Did something happen? Is it -”

The redhead pushed herself up onto her elbows so that she could lean upright in her bed, and despite the early hour, she suddenly felt very much awake. 

Elsa and their father had left for England on Monday; and although their mother typically accompanied him on royal tours, this time, Agnarr had felt that it would be beneficial for his eldest daughter – as future Queen of the country – to join him on the week-long tour. 

Despite her initial anxiety at the thought of all of the media attention that would surround them during the tour, Elsa had eventually agreed that it would be useful for her to go; but now, Anna was filled with sudden dread.

She hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with her sister since Tuesday morning, and that conversation had been brief – just a quick check in about how she found the flight, and how the accommodation was, and whether the people were nice. Elsa had reassured her that everything was perfect, but things could quickly change; and it was the only plausible explanation as to why Olaf would be ringing her at this time in the morning.

“No, no -”

“No?” she practically screeched, her eyes widening in panic. 

Oh, _god_ , that was her _sister_ , and she was thousands of miles away -

“No! I mean, yes, yes - Elsa is absolutely fine, Anna,” he told her, and Anna’s tense shoulders sagged in relief at his words.

“Oh, thank goodness for -”

“It’s _you_ that I’m worried about,” Olaf finished.

“Me?” Anna said, surprise evident in her tone as her brows pulled together tightly. “Why would you be -”

“Listen,” Olaf interrupted, “I’ll be there in about - I don’t know, give me about ten minutes or so, okay?” he asked, Anna heard a car door slam to a close behind him.

Now it made at least a little more sense to her as to why he sounded out of breath, especially if he had been heading down the stairs of his apartment block towards his car, but it didn’t make any sense why he’d be coming over so early in the morning. 

“Just do me one favour,” he continued, and before she could agree, he spoke again. “Please, _please_ , do _not_ look at your phone.”

“Olaf...”

“Anna, I’m serious,” he told her, and the princess exhaled a deep breath at his solemn tone. 

It wasn’t like Olaf to be like this with her - typically, her friend was all laughter and light, playful and fun; so she knew that there had to be a pretty good explanation as to why he was being so firm, so serious and insistent about this. 

She couldn’t help but wonder, though, and her head began to spin a little as she conjured up all of the possible disasters that this could be related to. Olaf had said that Elsa was fine, and so she thought of the next important person in her life, and she hoped that Kristoff was alright, too; though a repeat of the whole _prince fisticuff’s_ incident didn’t seem enough to warrant such a dramatic response from her friend. 

“I love you, Anna, and because I love you I want you to listen to me. Don’t read your messages. Don’t answer your phone. And definitely don’t read anything online. Okay?” 

She opened her mouth to stutter out an agreement before he interrupted once more.

“You know what, actually, just don’t even open your phone, alright? Put it back under your pillow, close your eyes, and don’t move a muscle until I get to you.”

Anna’s hands trembled as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, panic flooding through her. 

“Olaf, I -”

“Anna, I’m driving, so I’m gonna have to go - no doubt there’ll be paparazzi everywhere, and the last thing I need is to get caught driving on my phone, you know what they’re like.”

“Paparazzi?” Anna practically screeched.

They were usually the least of Olaf’s concerns. The photographers and journalists usually left him alone, and they only really hounded him when something utterly scandalous happened with the royal family, and it had been _months_ since then. It was well known that Olaf was one of Anna and Elsa’s closest friends, and he was one of the first people that the media went to whenever they wanted to try and get close to the princesses whenever there was some big drama; and so if Olaf was worried about them following him, then this _really_ couldn’t be any good. 

“Olaf, I’m - can’t you just tell me what’s -”

“Anna, look, I’ll be there soon – just. Just promise me that you won’t even unlock it until I get there. _Please_.”

It was such an odd request, and Anna instinctively wanted to refuse, but her stomach knotted further as worry overcame her. Whatever this was, Olaf obviously wanted to talk to her about it in person rather than over the phone and also didn’t want her to find out on her own; and though it seemed a little over-dramatic, she trusted his judgement. 

The curiosity was going to be the death of her, she was sure; but at the same time, Olaf was one of her closest friends - one of the only people outside of her family whom she could whole-heartedly trust - and so Anna knew that if he was asking her to do this, then it _had_ to be important. 

“Alright,” Anna nodded in agreement. “Okay. I promise that I won’t look.”

.

.

.

For the first time in months, Anna sobbed.

Olaf had stayed by her side for most of the morning, and he had even offered to cancel his afternoon meeting for her, but she had refused – the last thing that she wanted to do was to make anyone feel as though they needed to stay here and look after her, as if she was some kind of needy child. She reassured him that she would be fine by herself and promised that if she needed anything, then she’d have one of the staff call him straight away.

Now that she was alone with her thoughts, Anna begrudged her own stupidity for believing that things could actually be easy and straightforward in her life. For the first time in forever, she was _happy_ ; happy and comfortable in her own skin, by _herself,_ and everything with Kristoff - even if they weren’t exactly official - was merely a bonus to that. 

She was the happiest that she had been in an awfully long time, and she should have known that it would all come crashing down sooner or later.

Especially if _he_ had anything to do with it.

Together, Anna and Olaf had spent forty minutes watching – and re-watching – the exclusive interview that Hans Westergaard had granted one of the most famous journalists in the Southern Isles. It was all rather ridiculous – the actual purpose of the interview was incredibly vague, and an awful lot of it was spent with him talking about himself; so arrogant and smug and sure of himself, even if nobody else was.

It frustrated her to no end to know that without their relationship, Hans would have never received such strong attention from anyone in the media. After all, he was right at the bottom of the food chain when it came to the royal family of the Southern isles – he was the youngest of thirteen princes, and had little to no chance of ever ascending the throne; so naturally, the media hype tended to fall upon his older brothers.

Halfway through the interview, one of the underlying reasons for him speaking to anyone became apparent; and whilst Hans had attempted to keep the façade of a perfect gentleman throughout the entire interview, his mask slipped as he was asked about her. 

It was all such bullshit, of course. Anna knew how these things worked, and she knew full well that Hans would have known _exactly_ what questions the journalist was going to ask him, and he would have had answers to those questions prepped days in advance.

And Anna was absolutely mortified.

Olaf had comforted her with warm hugs, which had certainly helped her to feel at least slightly better at the time; but she was alone now, and her own slender arms wrapped tightly around her upper-body didn’t feel quite the same. 

After watching the interview, the two of them had both agreed that it would be best for Anna to turn her phone off – at least for now, until everything calmed down, and until the crisis management team who worked for her family had finished their meeting and come up with a method as to how they were going to handle this.

After her very public break-up from Hans, Anna had well and truly hidden in an attempt to protect herself from the cruel scrutiny of the media. Her father’s advisors had disagreed with her method – they recommended that she was seen to continue on as normal in defiance, and advised her to release a statement explaining what had happened. 

It had been the last thing that Anna wanted to do, however, and she truly felt like she needed space and time to heal and breathe; even if it meant that she wasn’t as involved in the charities that she loved so much, or that she couldn’t attend galas and balls that she previously enjoyed.

It had taken some time for Anna to work back up to being more involved once again - even with the charities that she loved - and whilst she had always been so sure of herself before, now, she felt the pressure of all eyes being on her; ready and waiting and watching for even the slightest mistake so that they could embarrass her and hang her out to dry for the rest of the world to see.

Her mother had known how difficult it had been for Anna to step back into public life, and today was supposed to be their first joint engagement since the whole Hans disaster. Anna had been genuinely looking forward to it - the two of them were supposed to be meeting with local university students to discuss the recent changes in funding that had been put in place by the government and how it had impacted upon their lives, but there was no way that she could muster up the courage to put on a show for the media today. 

The redhead couldn’t help but wonder whether Hans knew that she was supposed to be out with her mother today - after all, it was unusual for an interview of this type not to be advertised prior to its release, or for it to be put out on a Thursday, of all days.

Iduna had known, of course, and she had come to Anna’s bedroom to find her crying on Olaf’s shoulders when she excused her from their engagement. The Queen had placed a soft kiss on the top of her youngest daughter’s forehead and told her not to worry, but then she too had left, and Anna wasn’t sure how she was supposed to sit here and not feel like an utter disaster.

God, she _hated_ him.

The words that he had said - the lies that he had told - in his self-proclaimed _‘exclusive’_ interview swirled around in her mind; and Anna wanted nothing more than to wipe that horrible, smug smile from his stupid face all over again. She recalled how satisfying it had been to punch him all those months ago, but the memory only brought her a slight sense of comfort before the hurt, anger and sadness bubbled within her once more.

”In terms of your ex-girlfriend, it appears that she has sparked a new relationship of her own,” the reporter had said to him. “Is there anything that you would like to say about that?”

Hans had smirked at the question. “No,” he had said, but the glint in his eyes had said otherwise. “I have nothing at all to say about it.” 

The smirk had turned into a full-blown grin by the end of his sentence, and the camera picked up on every detail of his wicked expression.

Now that she was sat here, almost nine months since she had brought their pathetic excuse of a relationship to an end, Anna wondered how she had ever found him to be attractive, or handsome.

The journalist seemed to pick up on his underlying tone and pressed accordingly. 

“What about the speed at which she has appeared to have moved on from your relationship - do you have anything to say about that?” the woman asked, and Anna’s eyes had widened dramatically at the question and the implications behind it.

“Not really, no. I realised pretty quickly after our break-up that Anna is, unfortunately, rather insecure. It’s a common fault, and a shame, really; but I wouldn’t say that I’m entirely shocked to hear that she’s moved on to the first man who’s shown her attention since I left her. Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No.” 

The ease at which he lied caused Anna to fume; and although Olaf had tried his best to reassure her that the entire world knew that she had been the one to end their short-lived relationship, Anna wasn’t so sure that that was true. 

He was such a convincing liar – ever so manipulative with his animated tone and expressive green eyes – and Anna knew from first-hand experience just how charming the young prince could be when he wanted to get his own way.

”Do you have any words of advice for the boxer?” the interviewer had added, and the smile on her face when the camera panned to her irritated Anna, too.

“Yes,” he said as he shook his head in amusement. ” _Run._ ”

The pair of them laughed quickly, but then Hans shook his head from side to side.

“No, I mean - you know what, I’m _not_ going to comment any further on that… _well_ . I’m sure that he’ll come to his senses soon enough, just like I did, and realise exactly what kind of person she is. I would, however, _love_ to tell you all about the new foundation that I’ve just launched - independently, might I add...”

He hadn’t just come for Anna with this interview. 

He had come for Kristoff, too.

Once more, Anna marveled at just how arrogant – and damn-right out of his mind – this awful man really was. She knew Kristoff well enough to know that he wouldn’t go out of his way to do anything crazy, or reckless; not to defend himself, at least, but that didn’t mean that he would hold himself back if the opportunity presented itself to him. 

After all, he was a _boxer_ \- and she no longer found herself flickering to the memory of her punching Hans. 

Instead, all that she could think about now was how satisfying it would be to watch one of Kristoff’s huge fists collide with the jaw of her ex-boyfriend in order to wipe that awfully smug smile from his face for good.

The shrill sound of the palace phone ringing from where it rested upon one of her bedside tables disturbed her thoughts and caused Anna to jump. Her eyes widened dramatically at the sudden interruption, but she didn’t hesitate to shuffle over in bed and answer the call. 

It was at times like these when Anna didn’t know who to trust. She had many friends, of course, but that didn’t mean that she believed they wouldn’t sell a story on her for the right price; though it wasn’t as though anyone and everyone could reach her on this line - only palace staff and immediate family had the direct number - so she needn’t have worried about anyone trying to get her to comment on the interview. 

Part of her had been expecting the call to be from her sister in England. Olaf had told her that Elsa had contacted him that morning to let him know about the interview, and Anna knew that her sister would certainly be worried about her - she always was - so she was a little surprised to hear Gerda’s voice speak through the line.

“Good afternoon, Princess Anna,” the older woman said, and Anna took a moment to appreciate the casual and nonchalant tone that she spoke with. 

Anna knew that there was no doubt that the interview would be the topic of conversation around the palace today, but the way that Gerda spoke almost made her feel as though it was a normal, typical day.

“Afternoon, Gerda,” Anna replied, and though the stuffiness of her nose and the thickness of her voice made it obvious that she had spent the last few hours in tears, Gerda didn’t comment on it.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Highness, but you have a visitor who is quite insistent that he sees you at once.”

Anna was certain that she could detect the hint of amusement in Gerda’s tone, but she frowned nonetheless at her words. She didn’t think that Olaf would have returned from his meetings so soon, and besides, he was so familiar with the palace staff that she was also quite certain that nobody would stop him from coming up to her bedroom to see her.

“A visitor?” she repeated, the confusion evident in her tone despite the stuffiness of her voice.

“Yes, Your Highness, a visitor. Mr Bjorgman, I believe.”

Anna could just about hear him protest in the background - _it’s just Kristoff_ \- and despite the snot that filled her nose and the redness of her tear-stained cheeks and the puffiness of her eyes, Anna couldn’t help but smile at the muffled sound of his voice.

She couldn’t quite believe that he was here. Realistically, Anna knew that he was there to see her because of the turbulent interview; but her spirits still perked dramatically at the thought of seeing him again. 

Anna hadn’t seen him since Oaken had caught the two of them in a semi-compromising position in the gym, with Kristoff towering over her as he pinned her to the yoga mat with his hips whilst he kissed her senseless; and due to his intense schedule – and the fact that his trainer wasn’t best pleased with him – they hadn’t made any plans to see one another until his final fight, which Anna had tickets to watch along with Olaf, Elsa and Honeymaren.

“I - of course,” Anna stuttered, and she hoped that the surprise in her voice wasn’t too apparent. “Send him up, please.”

Anna knew that it would take Kristoff at least a couple of minutes to reach her bedroom - no doubt with Gerda accompanying him to show him the way, since he had never actually stepped foot inside of the castle before - and it wasn’t as if this was the eighteen-hundreds anymore, but Anna still bit her lip lightly as she wondered what the staff would make of him coming to her; this tall, broad, ruggedly handsome boxer stepping into her bedroom, and suddenly, her cheeks were burning.

She wished that he was here to see her under different circumstances. This was a moment that she had spent more time thinking about than she really cared to admit, and it should have been exciting to have him here in her home for the first time; but she had never imagined that Kristoff’s first visit to the palace would be as a result of her ex-boyfriend slating the pair of them to the world’s media.

Yet again, another thing that Hans had robbed her of.

The small voice in the back of her mind – the one that sounded so much like her ex-boyfriend – came to life for the first time in weeks, and Anna swallowed thickly as she worried over what Kristoff would have made of the interview.

She wondered whether he believed the web of lies that Hans had crafted so easily with his tongue. 

By the time that the knock on the door came to disturb her from her cascading thoughts, the princess realised that she hadn’t even attempted to move in order to make herself look more presentable for her guest.

Her eyes danced over to the mirror on her wall, and the reflection that stared back at her confirmed her worries.

Olaf had played with her hair for some time whilst he had comforted her through the morning, and in turn, that had at least tidied her locks; but her cheeks were still pink and stained with dry tears and the remnants of the mascara that she hadn’t cared to wipe from her lashes the night before, and her eyes were unusually swollen and puffy, and her nose was a bright shade of red that envied her hair. To top it all off, Anna was still wearing the light blue cotton nightdress that she had slept in – with a matching eye mask tangled on top of her head – and she suddenly felt incredibly childish.

It was much too late for her to do anything about it now, though, and Anna could only hope that Kristoff would somehow not notice just how awful she looked. In fact, her appearance was really the least of her worries right now – after all, he could very much be here to tell her that he had had second thoughts about being romantically involved with her after hearing Hans’ version of events.

She shuddered at the thought and attempted to push it away.

“Come in,” Anna called out, and she winced slightly at how pathetic her voice sounded as she spoke. 

She really needed to blow her nose, but she had gone through the whole box earlier, and -

Oh, _no_ ; she had completely forgotten all about the tissues filled with snot and tears that were crumpled all around her on the bed, and without wanting to waste another second, Anna gathered them into her palms and threw them onto her bedroom floor. 

It may not have been very regal or proper of her, but she supposed that they were better off there than on her mattress.

Before the door had fully opened, Kristoff stepped hurriedly into her bedroom; and although the whole room was strange and unfamiliar and new to him, his eyes barely even drifted to take it all in. Instead, he looked over the expanse of it until he found her, and his gaze – so full of emotion that she just couldn’t quite read – locked onto hers.

Sat in the middle of her large bed, Anna felt a little sheepish; and she attempted to offer him a small, reassuring smile, but her bottom lip wobbled as she did so. She couldn’t be sure whether or not he had noticed, but she watched as his fists clenched and unclenched from where they dangled by his sides, and she had a feeling that he may have been able to read her better than she thought.

Anna took the opportunity to drink him in, and she noticed that he looked pretty disheveled – more so than she had ever seen before. He hadn’t shaved, so his jaw and chin were covered in a light stubble that she wasn’t accustomed to seeing him with, and his long hair was mussed in a way that made him seem utterly wild. Kristoff was wearing more clothes than she usually saw him in, too – a dark hoodie with matching joggers – but he looked handsome, as always, and Anna was overcome with the urge to kiss him.

From where she had been standing by the entryway into Anna’s bedroom, Gerda cleared her throat, and the older woman offered the princess a knowing look. The redhead blinked over towards her - her cheeks reddening at the realisation that she had been caught ogling him - although she was sure that Gerda would understand. 

It may have only been a few days since she had last seen him, but it still felt like _too_ long.

“Your Highness,” Gerda said, a knowing smile lingering on her lips as she spoke. 

With a nod of her head, she was gone; and she closed the door firmly behind her, leaving the two of them in silence.

Despite Gerda’s presence, Kristoff’s dark eyes hadn’t moved from her since he had entered her bedroom. He watched her intently, and whilst she still struggled to put her finger on the emotion that burned in his heated gaze, it made her feel almost shy as she blinked up at him under lashes from where she was curled up in bed.

The way in which his tense shoulders relaxed slightly as Gerda closed the door and left them alone didn’t go amiss, and Anna thought of how bizarre it was to see him here, in her - very pink - bedroom. 

It wasn’t so much the fact that he looked out of place as it was that it felt so surreal to her that he was actually here, in front of her; and Anna pushed down the longing feeling inside of her that wanted him here on a much more regular basis.

Kristoff opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came from him for a few beats, and Anna thought of how he seemed to be carefully searching for the right words to say to her. Eventually, he inhaled and spoke. 

“I - I’m sorry for, ah, bursting in here. I did try to call, but your phone just kept going to voicemail, and then your sister called me, and -”

Despite her best intentions to hold them back, tears pooled aggressively in her light eyes – mostly from the sheer and utter relief that she felt now that he was here, and from the little he had said so far, it didn’t exactly sound like he had come to call things off with her. Anna hadn’t quite realised just how much she wanted - _needed_ \- to see him; after all, she had been aware of the fact that it was near enough impossible, and so she hadn’t even dared to entertain the idea of him coming to see her, and comfort her.

So, now that he was actually here, her hands trembled and her heart swelled and the tears fell from her eyes before she could stop them.

Her vision blurred slightly, but Anna could still make out the way in which his thick fingers twitched as though he wanted to reach out and touch her. 

“Shit, Anna, are you okay?” he asked, and he only hesitated for a second or two before he moved from where he had been hovering in the doorway of her bedroom. 

Kristoff walked towards where she was sitting on the bed, and although she could have sworn that he seemed to be considering joining her on the mattress, he eventually opted to crouch down beside her bedside table instead.

Anna cringed slightly when she remembered that the snotty tissues were just inches away from his feet, and although the boxer didn’t seem to pay them any mind – she supposed that they were hardly going to gross him out when he was used to blood and broken bones – but she still found her cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

Besides, the size of her bed meant that even though he was closer to her now, he still didn’t feel close enough, and Anna wanted nothing more than for him to wrap his strong arms around her and hold her tightly against his chest in a way that made her feel safe and wanted and - god, and _loved_.

Usually, Anna was braver at night, found that she could speak more easily to him in the darkness; but she wanted to be brave now, too, wanted to push through her usual nervousness, and so she impulsively reached out to clasp one of his large hands with both of her own. His skin was warm to touch, and Anna tugged on his hand, the motion dragging his arm closer towards her. Kristoff seemed to understand her silent question, and he slowly made his way onto the mattress so that he could sit on top of the covers beside her.

Large, fat tears continued to fall slowly down her face, but Anna felt slightly more in control of them now. With Kristoff so close, she found that she was able to breathe a little easier – she had always craved closeness and human touch, and she practically sighed in relief when he shuffled closer towards her. One of his arms slowly – so very slowly, almost as if he was worried that any sudden movement might startle her – moved so that it hung over her shoulders, and Anna smiled despite the tears at the feel of his work-roughened palm settling around the bare skin of her upper arm.

The redhead placed one of her own hands over his, and she pressed down firmly against it, silently pleading with him to keep it there. Positioned like this – with her side pressed against his, his arm slung over her shoulders and her hand covering his on her arm – Anna felt so snug, and she didn’t want him to move or pull away.

His free hand came up slowly, too, and after a few seconds, he tentatively cupped her jaw with it. Anna’s lips trembled once again, and she marveled at how he handled her so delicately; his hands – so used to being tightly bound and moving in such firm, hard ways – moving so carefully against her skin.

“I’m sorry, Kris,” she managed to whisper, her voice shaky. “God, I – I’m so sorry, for all of this.”

“Anna, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he told her, and Anna whimpered slightly when he brushed his thumb over her damp cheek, moving away the tears that had fallen there. “None of this is your fault.”

“Kristoff, I -”

He shushed her then, the sound low and soft and comforting; and Anna’s light eyes fluttered slightly to a close. 

She was suddenly aware of how much her head hurt – the kind of dull headache behind her eyes that a person only acquired after a good, hearty cry – and she went easily when Kristoff gently manoeuvred her head with his palm so that she could rest against his shoulder. Anna nuzzled impossibly closer to him and breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of his shower gel; and she smiled against his bare skin.

“You showered?” she murmured, her dry lips tickling against his skin, and Kristoff chuckled. The sound vibrated in his throat against her, and Anna buried into him even more, her close-lipped smile spreading wider. “For me?”

Kristoff hummed. “Figured the last thing that you’d want is me here, stinking of sweat,” he teased, and though his tone was light, Anna’s smile still fell.

She pulled back ever so slightly – not enough so that his arm fell from around her shoulders, but enough so that she felt his bicep tense around the back of her neck – and she looked up into his honey brown eyes, pleased when Kristoff met her gaze easily.

“I’d want you here, no matter what,” she murmured, tears no longer dancing in her eyes; and she watched the way that his lips twitched upwards slightly at her words. 

Anna’s eyes danced over the stubble that covered his face, and she was overcome with the urge to crawl her way up his upper body so that she could press a wet kiss to his lips, but Kristoff nudged her again to pull her back to his neck.

“Why don’t you get some rest,” he encouraged her softly. “You look exhausted. Close your eyes, and then we can catch up when you wake up.”

Anna wanted to protest, but he was right, she _was_ tired. She hadn’t been expecting such a draining morning, and so she had stayed up quite late last night; and all of the crying that she had done over the course of the morning had tired her out, too. Now that she was wrapped up in his arms, all tight and close and warm, she felt so comfortable that she could easily sleep, and so she hummed weakly against his neck before she nodded her head once.

“Alright,” she said in agreement, and she moved one of her hands so that she could snake it underneath his hoodie. 

Kristoff jumped a little at her touch – he felt so warm underneath her palm, so she could only imagine how cold she must have felt in return – but he relaxed quickly, and the hand that had been cupping her face moved to work through her tangled strands of hair. 

“You’ll stay with me?”

Anna knew the answer to her question – especially since he had moved to shuffle himself beneath the covers with her – but she wanted to hear him say it, anyway. 

“Of course,” he responded without missing a beat, and she smiled. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

The princess sighed against his skin, and thoughts of her ex-boyfriend and his outrageous interview were pushed far away as she concentrated on the feel of Kristoff’s heart thumping beneath her palm until sleep overcame her, the ghost of his lips lingering on her hairline as she finally dozed off.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos to u if you catch the Aladdin reference!

It was hot - far too hot – and Kristoff wanted nothing more than to pull the hoodie that he was wearing up and over his head so that he could throw the offensive, thick material somewhere onto Anna’s bedroom floor (preferably away from the pile of tissues, though); but moving to do so would mean disturbing her, since she was snoring lightly from where she had her head buried into the crook of his neck, and after the day that she’d had, he just couldn’t bring himself to do that.

Fuck, who was he kidding – he wouldn’t have disturbed her no matter what kind of day she’d had.

He was way too far gone on this girl.

The two of them had started off being positioned side by side on Anna’s bed. He had been a little uncertain over whether he should touch her at all, but she had been so sad, and human touch had never done much to comfort him, but he knew that she was different – she was normal. 

So, he had tentatively raised an arm and slung it gently across her shoulders, and that had turned out fine; and then Anna had leaned into his touch and rested her head in the crook of his neck and breathed him in, and that had been fine, too. 

She had been close enough so that he could hold her, but there had equally been some distance between the two of them - he was in a palace, after all, and Anna was a princess; and even as a boxer who knew nothing at all about propriety, Kristoff had a feeling that he was already tiptoeing on the edge of it.

But this was Anna; a princess, yes, but a princess who wriggled something chronic in her sleep, and she had clambered into his lap, had sought him out in her dreams and pulled herself as physically close to him as she could manage. So now he was sitting in Anna’s bed with her in his lap, her head buried in the crook of his neck and her hands still resting underneath his shirt; and Kristoff had supposed that there wasn’t much else for him to do other than to wrap his arms loosely around her and hold her.

The blonde had no idea how long Anna had been asleep - around an hour and a half, give or take - but he had been more than content to just sit here and hold her in silence whilst he processed his own thoughts. After Elsa had called him, Kristoff had hurried over as quickly as he could; so fixated upon how Anna would be feeling and what she would be thinking that he hadn’t really left much room for anything else, and the quiet that filled the room allowed him the opportunity to think over what had been said in the interview as well as the chance to ponder the events that were now likely to follow as a result.

Once Kristoff had been sure that Anna was asleep – the snoring was enough of a sign, but the drool that she smeared on his neck sealed the deal – he had watched the interview on his phone. The last thing that he had wanted was for Anna to wake up and find him watching it, or for her to subconsciously hear her ex-boyfriends voice in sleep and have him harass her in her dreams, too; so he muted the video and watched it with subtitles.

He had listened to snippets of the interview on his drive over – it had been playing on nearly every radio station that he switched to – and the words alone had done enough to enrage him; but actually sitting down and watching this man talk into the camera was an entirely different experience, and by the end of the interview, Kristoff had wished that he had stayed at the gym to watch it.

At least that way, he would have been able to punch something. _Hard_.

The boxer sighed as he ran one of his hands absent-mindedly through Anna’s hair, his eyes glassy and unfocused as he lost himself in thought and lost his fingers in the wavy strands. She hadn’t told him _that_ much about Hans – bits and pieces here and there – although in all fairness, he hadn’t asked. Kristoff had been confident that he knew all that he needed to know about him: he was a prince, he was her ex-boyfriend, he lived in some country far away from Norway, and he was an asshole.

But now that he had seen him, Kristoff’s mind began to wander to places that it hadn’t done before.

Watching the interview had solidified to him just how different the two men were in every which way, and Kristoff wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He supposed that it was a good thing, really – he didn’t _want_ to be anything like Hans Westergaard, didn’t want to be anything like any stuffed shirt, swaggering peacock that he had ever met, and yet -

A part of him felt inadequate.

It wasn’t necessarily just Hans, so much as everything that the man represented, everything that Kristoff would – and could - never be. Whilst Hans was a prince, Kristoff was just some loner from the mountains who punched people for a living.

The blonde tried his best to push away the image of the prince’s perfectly styled hair coiffed neatly on top of his head. It wasn’t a dull shade of blonde, like his own; instead, it was an obnoxious shade of red - that thankfully didn’t compare to Anna’s softer auburn tresses - and though he felt ridiculous for even considering it, he couldn’t help but wonder what she thought about his own hair.

Anna seemed to like his hair just fine, he had thought. Actually, she had seemed to particularly like it when they had spent the night together at his cabin; and when he had pleasured her with his mouth, she had buried her fingers into it and wrapped them tightly around the strands so that she could maneuver him to wherever she wanted him. 

Kristoff knew that he was long overdue for a haircut, but Anna had never said anything about it, so he hadn’t bothered; but now he was beginning to wonder whether he should go about getting it cut back sooner rather than later.

He wondered if she would prefer that. Maybe he could even find someone to style it, too – although that might be pushing the boat a little too far.

There was his stupid voice, too. Hans spoke in such a princely way: he pronounced his words correctly, and he even managed to drag out a few of the syllables here and there which seemed to make them sound impossibly more regal. It was all quite the opposite of Kristoff, who had a habit of swearing much more often than he should – especially when he was around Anna – and who muttered his words and huffed out sarcastic comments without much thought. 

Kristoff supposed that he should probably work on that, too; should try his best to speak a little clearer, and structure his sentences a little more accurately, especially if Anna was serious about him meeting her parents.

And then there was their build, for which the two men couldn’t be more different, either. Hans was all slim and slender, his suit and shirt perfectly tailored to his narrow body in a way that was flattering. He didn’t look particularly tall or broad, or strong or defined, which meant that Kristoff would have had absolutely nothing to worry about in the ring – but this wasn’t a boxing match, this was real life, and Kristoff knew that none of those things actually mattered here.

Instead, all that Kristoff could think about was the fact that he was awkwardly tall – he practically towered over Anna – and far too broad – his body near enough dwarfed hers. He was just _big_ , and he was pretty certain that he didn’t look anything like that on the rare occasion that he bothered to wear a suit.

Without realising what it was that he was doing, Kristoff altered the angle of his chin, buried his face into the top of Anna’s hair and inhaled deeply. The scent of her shampoo – strawberry, he was sure – helped to ground him, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he attempted to focus his mind on her, and only her.

This _Hans_ had already taken so much from her; he could sense it in the way that seemed to doubt herself around him sometimes, could feel it in the way that she froze just a little when he moved too quickly, could see it when she blinked up at him in surprise or flustered whenever he offered her a compliment or kind words. Even right now, he could see it – her eyes were still puffy from the tears that she had shed as a result of him – and despite the insecurities that lived within him, Kristoff certainly wasn’t going to give some pompous prince the chance to take him away from her, too.

He had been absent-mindedly scrolling through his messages with one hand whilst the other continued to snake through Anna’s hair when he heard the bedroom door creak open an inch, and then some more; and Kristoff’s stomach practically flipped at the realisation that they – that _Anna_ \- had company. 

This may not have been the seventeenth century, but that didn’t mean that people who lived in the palace – and Anna’s friends, for that matter – accepted his budding relationship with the youngest princess; and he was suddenly torn between flinging himself face-first off the end of the bed or burying his head under the pillows and pretending that he wasn’t there at all.

Of course, Kristoff did neither of those things, because Anna was still soundly sleeping in his arms with her soft breath tickling his neck and her quiet snores filling the silence of the room, and there was still absolutely no way that he was going to do anything to risk disturbing her slumber. So, the boxer didn’t move – not even an inch – and his dark eyes remained fixated on the doorway, curiosity bubbling within him as to who would enter Anna’s bedroom without so much as knocking on the door first.

A woman who Kristoff didn’t recognise stepped into the bedroom, her eyes straight on the bed as if she somehow knew that was where Anna would be. Her eyes widened a little when she found him to be perched on the bed with Anna in his arms, although her expression softened just moments later when the princess let out a rather loud snore against his neck. 

The woman’s eyes practically twinkled in a way that reminded Kristoff an awful lot of Anna, and although he supposed that he could see some sense of similarity in their expressions, this woman’s hair and skin and general features were much darker than Anna’s, so he couldn’t be certain that -

“Hello,” the woman said, her voice quiet and low. 

She offered him a closed-lip smile that reached her eyes, and Kristoff knew without a doubt that his initial suspicion was correct: this woman had to be Anna’s mother.

Well, this certainly wasn’t how he had ever imagined meeting the Queen of Norway would go.

But here he was. So.

He should probably say something.

“Uh, hi,” he said, the word simple and effective and yet utterly ridiculous.

Hi? _Hi_? Was he for _real_? This woman was the Queen, and all he could say to her was _hi_?

Kristoff hoped that the blush on his cheeks wasn’t all that noticeable as she looked over him, and a particularly strange sensation began to build at the back of his neck that made him want to run. He felt a little overwhelmed – he hadn’t planned for this, and once Elsa had told him that there was nobody else around at the palace, he hadn’t wasted any time in coming over because the last thing that he wanted was for Anna to be alone as well as sad – and out of place, and he silently cursed himself for wearing such casual clothing today.

Who the fuck comes to a palace to see a princess wearing a tracksuit?

Oh, yeah, that’s right: _him_.

If she was offended by the fact that he didn’t actually bother to acknowledge her with a proper title or more formal greeting - fuck, what was he supposed to call her? _Your Highness_? Wait, no, that’s what the other woman had called Anna, so it couldn’t be that. Your Majesty, maybe? - she didn’t show it, and the soft smile remained on her face as she moved closer towards the bed.

“You must be Mr Bjorgman,” she said to him as her eyes continued to roam over his features – and lingered for a beat or two on the hand which was still buried in Anna’s hair – and his own eyes widened slightly when she perched herself on the end of Anna’s bed. 

Now that she was closer to him, he supposed that he could see the similarities more and more, although the resemblance was hardly striking.

Kristoff couldn’t help but frown at the name. What was it with the people in this place insisting on addressing him as ‘Mr Bjorgman’? 

“I -” he started, and his hold on Anna’s hair tightened ever so slightly, but he released the strands quickly, too. “It’s just Kristoff,” he told her, his voice a little higher than usual when he said his name; and his frown deepened for a second as he cleared his throat.

There was that twinkle in her eyes again, and a part of him recognised her expression to be almost amused, but he pushed that thought away almost as quickly as it had come. He wasn’t going to entertain the idea of Anna’s mother actually liking him – that just wasn’t how these things went down. It wasn’t as though Kristoff was an actual bad-boy type – quite the opposite, actually – but he supposed that the tracksuit he was wearing and the bruises on his knuckles probably said otherwise.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Kristoff. I’m Iduna, Anna’s mother,” she said, and Kristoff thought to himself how she spoke so regally, too. Silence fell upon them again, and Kristoff felt a little awkward – especially now that she had confirmed his suspicion – but she spoke again. “Anna hasn’t stopped talking about you,” she told him, and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that information.

“Well, I – all good things, I hope.”

What. A. Dumbass.

Iduna chuckled softly. “Of course.”

Anna’s body jerked in his arms as she let out another rather loud snore, and the sound seemed to have startled her awake. Anna’s fingers buried a little deeper into the skin of his chest as she pushed herself backwards so that she sat more upright, and she used her shoulder to wipe the trail of drool from her mouth so that her hands could remain underneath his hoodie and tee and pressed up against his bare skin.

She blinked up at him lazily before she smiled.

“Kristoff,” she breathed, still sounding tired despite her nap. “Who were you – oh!”

Anna’s eyes widened when she tilted her head and spotted her mother perched at the end of the bed, and she quickly pulled her hands from underneath Kristoff’s hoody. He immediately missed the comforting feel of her bare skin against his own, but he followed her lead and released his hand from her hair.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Iduna said, that soft smile still resting pleasantly on her face. “I just came by to see how you were doing – I hadn’t realised that your boyfriend was here.”

Kristoff’s broad shoulders tensed slightly at the word, and he noticed the way in which Anna held her breath for a few seconds, too. It sounded foreign and unfamiliar and even a little strange, being referred to in that way, although he never would have corrected her. 

He briefly wondered whether that was what Anna had called him to her family and friends, wondered if that’s what she saw him as; and he suddenly felt like a huge asshole for not having had that conversation with her before.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t want her to be, but Kristoff had been pretty certain that he couldn’t just outright ask the Princess of Norway to be his girlfriend.

The conversation flowed between the two women with an ease that came through familiarity, and Kristoff swallowed thickly, feeling a little guilty about the fact that he had completely zoned out of their conversation for a minute there and hadn’t been paying attention. He hoped that neither of them noticed his ignorance.

“I know – we'll make up for it, next time,” Iduna said, and Anna nodded her head happily in agreement. 

What it was she was agreeing with, Kristoff was clueless. 

“Anyway, I’ll leave you two to it,” she said; and with that, Iduna stood and made her way over towards Anna’s bedroom door. She paused as she opened it, her eyes meeting with his once again. “It was lovely to meet you, Kristoff.”

Kristoff cleared his throat. “You, too,” he responded, still a little uncertain as to whether he should have added a ‘Your Majesty’ to the end of that, but Anna beamed as though he had hung the sun in the sky for her, so he figured he hadn’t fucked it up too much. 

Iduna closed the door behind her, and Anna looked almost giddy as she looked up at him, but she must have seen something in his eyes that she didn’t like, and her face fell dramatically.

“Kristoff, are you okay?” she asked, and she sounded genuinely concerned. 

She seemed a little bolder now that they were alone again, and her small hands moved to cup either side of his face. One of her thumbs trailed across his cheekbone in a gentle caress that almost made him sigh, but instead, his eyes roamed over her face as he panicked. 

_Did he not look okay? Why was she so worried?_

“I’m fine,” he said, and he tried his hardest to sound as confident as he could do in order to reassure her. Her blue eyes narrowed at him in suspicion – clearly, she didn’t believe him – and so Kristoff changed the subject. 

“What about you? Are you okay?” he asked, and he meant it: he was fine, a little taken aback by the surprise meeting with her mother, but that was all – Anna had much bigger problems to face.

She paused at his question, her lips moving as if to speak several times before they eventually settled on forming a tight ’o’ shape. 

It seemed as though Anna was processing his question and formulating an answer, and that suited Kristoff just fine – he would much rather her be honest about how she felt as opposed to her dismissing her feelings on account of him.

“I - I don’t know,” she said, and the hands that were cupping his face relaxed against him slightly as she thought.

Kristoff felt his own hands twitch from where they were resting loosely on top of the duvet, and whilst he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them, he reasoned with himself that she had liked his touch earlier on. So, he moved his arms so that they rested more on his thighs, and he tentatively placed his palms on either side of her waist.

Anna’s lips twitched into a smile at the movement, and her eyes practically lit up in a way that thrilled him. He just wanted her to be happy - and it was all that he had seen of her so far, really; but today had completely thrown him, and he wanted her to feel relaxed enough around him that she could forget all about her stupid ex-boyfriend and his stupid interview.

“I mean, I’m okay _now_ ,” she said, and she dropped her hands from where she had been cupping his face so that they now rested around his biceps – on top of his hoodie – in a loose, casual hold that somehow felt a little more intimate. 

Kristoff’s arms instinctively tensed under her touch, and he found himself wanting to pull her flush against him so that her chest pressed tightly against his own.

He didn’t, of course; but god did he want to.

“I really am sorry about all of this,” Anna told him, her mouth downturned; and Kristoff wanted to kiss her lips until she smiled for him again. “I - _ugh_ , I just hate him so much. I didn’t think that he’d drag you into this mess, Kris, and -”

“Anna,” he cut her off as he tightened his hold of her waist. “You don’t need to apologise. It’s not your fault the guy’s an asshole.”

“I know, but -”

“No buts.”

“ _Kristoff_ ,” she said, and he had a feeling that her tone was supposed to be chiding, but the grin on her face meant that she didn’t quite pull it off. 

He could have sworn that she leaned in a little closer to him, and he thought of how easily he could just tug her so that she was flush against him; but he didn’t. He hadn’t come here to seduce her, tempting as that might be – he had come here to comfort her, and to listen, and just be present, and he wasn’t planning to fuck that up.

“I mean it,” he told her, face serious. “You don’t need to worry about me. I -”

The words were on the tip of his tongue, so ready to pour out of his mouth in the most casual and honest of ways, but Kristoff found himself feeling self-conscious and unsure. 

Was this all too much, too soon? Would she think that he was over-bearing, or way too intense, or even crazy?

His eyes flickered across her features, searching for any kind of rejection there; but all that he found was warmth, and softness, and hope, and Kristoff didn’t want to be the man who let her down, who burned those things out. He didn’t want to be the man who hurt her and disappointed her, who made those eyes sad and lifeless and tearful.

So, for what felt like the first time in his life, he jumped.

“You mean a lot to me, Anna,” he told her, and although the tips of his ears burned red with his confession, he ploughed through it. “I just want you to be happy.”

He blinked at her for a moment – surprised and relieved at how good it felt to be honest with her about his feelings – but then he realised that her eyes were filling with tears once again, and he began to stutter over his words as panic flooded through him. 

“Shit, Anna, what did I-”

She cut him off with a kiss.

It wasn’t anywhere near as passionate or as hungry as the other kisses that they had shared. Instead, it was all closed-lips and firm pressure – just generally chaste - but Kristoff sensed the underlying urgency there, and when she pulled away a few seconds later, he thought that he understood the message that she had tried to convey to him.

“I am happy,” Anna said, her eyes lit with a new fire that he didn’t quite recognise. “I don’t know what Elsa told you -”

“Not much,” he admitted.

“-but I _am_ . I mean, of course I'm upset about the interview – you know what, it’s not even just that I’m upset so much as I’m _mad_. It’s even worse that I can’t do anything about it. All of the men in suits – you know, my father’s advisors – are no doubt in a meeting right this second, planning every move that they’re going to have me and the rest of us play out in front of the media to make sure that we don’t put a foot wrong whilst handling all of this. And whatever I think or feel about it is irrelevant.”

Kristoff listened to her as she spoke, but he couldn’t help but frown. 

“Anna, that’s not – it _does_ matter. What you think and how you feel about all of this is relevant because it’s happening to _you_.”

Anna smiled at his words, and there was nothing wrong with the smile, as such – except for the fact that it oddly reminded him of the way in which his ma would smile at him when he was a young boy and she felt that he didn’t quite understand something that he had overheard.

“I - it’s - it’s not that simple,” she stuttered, the smile still resting on her face, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “This will no doubt start a media frenzy that will affect _all_ of my family. That will affect you, too. And -” she sighed, her lips turning downwards as she frowned. “I - I don’t know. It sounds silly. But I feel like this is all my fault for dating him in the first place. None of my family really trusted him at all, and if I would have just listened to them, then -”

“Hey,” Kristoff said, his tone of voice steady and calm. 

His fingers twitched from where they rested on her hips, and this time, he gave into the urge and pulled her further up his lap so that she was much closer to him.

“I mean it, Anna. None of this is your fault. The only person to blame here is that – that fucking -”

He was ranting a little now, and growing frustrated in his inability to get out the perfect words to summarise what he wanted to say to her, and oh _shit_ , he’d sworn as well, he was supposed to _not_ do that in front of her -

Kristoff inhaled deeply and focused on the sensation of his lungs filling so that he could reign himself back in. With a long exhale, he looked down into her blue eyes again. 

“I - it’s just - how you feel about this is important, okay? I get the whole family-being-impacted thing, but...”

Kristoff wanted to tell her that, realistically, she was the only one he really gave a crap about, that _she_ was the one that he wanted to be okay.

So, maybe that was a little over-dramatic – he did care about her family, of course - especially her sister - and he wanted them to be okay, too; but first and foremost, Anna was his priority. So long as she was okay, then he would be, too – and the realisation of that hit him so hard that the boxer actually felt slightly breathless.

From where she was still perched comfortably in his lap, Anna blinked up at him from under her lashes, and the way that she bit her lip almost shyly made him wonder whether she could read his mind and see all of the words that he wanted to say to her, but just couldn’t: not yet. “I can’t quite believe that you came here, you know,” she murmured to him, and he cocked a brow at that; her words taking him by surprise.

“Of course I came,” he said. 

Elsa had told him that her sister was alone and upset – he wasn’t just going to leave her like that, so long as he could do something about it. 

“I already told you, your phone was going straight to voicemail, and Elsa told me you’d be here alone, and I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

Anna pushed herself up in his arms so that her lips fluttered against his own once more, and Kristoff’s shoulders sagged immediately at the contact, despite how brief it was. 

“You’re so sweet, you know,” she whispered to him, her voice a little hoarse from her earlier tears. 

Kristoff opened his mouth to protest and tell her that he wasn’t _that_ sweet, thank you very much; but then she was kissing him again; and who was he to not comply with her feather soft lips?

Later, when she had kissed him to her heart’s content – and fallen back to sleep in his arms – Kristoff recalled his earlier suspicion, which he knew now to be absolutely true:

He was _way_ too far gone on this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just in case, the aladdin reference was 'stuffed shirt, swaggering peacock' hahaha


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a long one, but there was a lot to cover and I didn't really want to have to split it!

Anna blinked into the dark blanket of her bedroom; dazed and tired and confused, and uncertain of what had woken her in the first place. She felt a little off, and as she squinted over at the clock, she realised why.

Three fifteen.

Three fifteen a.m.

On a Saturday morning.

Anna suddenly felt very much awake as she shoved her hand underneath her pillows and searched blindly for her phone. It wasn’t like him not to at least send her a text after his fights; and although she had fallen asleep before he had even gotten out into the ring - it had been an awfully draining week, and she had been _so_ tired - she had kept her phone on loud on purpose so that she would wake when he messaged her.

After a couple of moments of scrambled searching, Anna’s fingers brushed against the solid case of her phone, and she tugged it from beneath her pillow and quickly moved to unlock it. The sudden brightness of the screen seemed to light up her entire room, and Anna blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to it; though her frown deepened when she found that he had indeed not contacted her.

No phone call. No text message. 

Nothing.

Anna swiftly moved to unlock her phone, ignoring the typical notifications from Facebook and Instagram, and as she opened to her phone screen, a notification from a local news outlet dropped down. 

Anna had forgotten to turn those alerts off – the ones that came up to alert her of new headlines that related to him – and her heart dropped as she read, and re-read, and re-re-read the headline.

_Rookie Bjorgman loses his penultimate fight of the season._

.

.

.

“Well, did you watch it?” Anna asked, her voice quiet and timid as she peeked out from underneath her covers.

The older of the two let out a gentle sigh as she stepped further into the bedroom. It was half past eight in the morning, and Anna very rarely saw this time of day unless she had an official engagement or meeting to attend, yet Elsa was already dressed and looked ready to face the day. Anna, meanwhile, knew that she looked awful; although at least she could put it down to the fact that she hadn’t slept very well at all since reading the news of Kristoff’s fight. 

She had tried her best to go back to sleep, but she kept waking every half hour or so; each time checking her phone on the off chance that he had reached out to her.

“Yes,” she admitted, looking almost guilty as she approached the bed. Elsa moved the covers back and crawled in so that she was sat beside her, and Anna pushed her body up so that she too could sit straight against the headboard, the two of them near enough shoulder-to-shoulder. 

Elsa wrung her hands nervously before she continued. 

“I had to speak to Honey about it all, though, since I didn’t quite understand the way in which they score the points.”

Anna hadn’t been able to bring herself to watch it. In fact, she had barely been able to bring herself to _read_ about it – she made it as far as the headlines, and they made her feel nauseous enough that she didn’t bother to continue. 

“How bad was it?” she asked, practically cringing as she spoke.

More than anything, she just hoped that he was alright.

Elsa shrugged her shoulders almost helplessly. 

“I suppose it wasn’t awful. It wasn’t as though he – you know, he didn’t get knocked out or anything. And he didn’t seem – seem _hurt,_ or in any kind of pain. The score was pretty close, actually – the commentators seemed to think that he was just. Well, _unfocused_. Not quite as... _sharp_.”

Anna listened carefully and then nodded when her sister finished as she thought it all over. She was relieved to hear that he seemed to be physically unharmed, but she worried her bottom lip as she thought over that word: unfocused. It wasn’t something that Anna had ever heard him be associated with when it came to his boxing, and she almost couldn’t make sense of it.

Realistically, she knew deep down that he couldn’t always win every fight. It was near impossible, and a loss was inevitable; especially as he got closer to the end of the season, and as the boxers he was up against increased in strength and ability and talent, too.

Still, she wondered over whether his loss was down to her. 

Since the interview with Hans, Kristoff had been a lot more attentive towards her. He seemed worried - of what, she couldn’t be certain – and he had even been speaking to her a lot more throughout the day as well as their routine nightly phone calls; and whilst deep down, Anna had known that this new behaviour was taking valuable training time away from him, she had secretly enjoyed the attention that he offered, and so she had greedily accepted it.

Now, she wished that she wouldn’t have done so.

She should have reassured him more, should have made him feel confident that she was fine; should have told him time and time again to get back to his training, that she would be there waiting when he finished -

“Do you think I should call him?” Anna thought out loud, but then she frowned and brought her chin down to rest on her closed fist. “No, I can’t, it’s still so early; and I don’t want to wake him up -”

“You could always message him,” Elsa suggested with a shrug.

Anna groaned. “I can’t _text_ him. What would I even say?”

Elsa looked a little confused, too. “Erm... I don’t know – what about, _how are you_?”

Anna pulled a face at her sister. “Elsa. I _cannot_ ask him that.”

The blonde let out a huff. “I know,” she said, still frowning. “Look, we both know that I’m no good at this kind of... thing. Why don’t you ask Olaf, see what he says?”

Anna nibbled on her lip as she thought that over, and her eyes danced back to the clock. 

It was only eight thirty-four. 

“I suppose I could,” she said with a nod. “But he won’t be awake yet. I’ll have to wait a little while.”

As if she could sense her inner struggle - mostly impatience, really, since the thought of having to wait even longer to reach out to Kristoff was driving her crazy - Elsa sighed. 

“The only other thing that I can think to suggest is for you to go and see him.”

That had been the very first thing that Anna had thought to do, and _god_ , she wanted to; but she worried that it was inappropriate, or insensitive, or that he just straight-up wouldn’t want to see her. 

Anna wasn’t familiar with his post-fight routine, and she certainly wasn’t familiar with what he did following a loss, since he had never lost before; so she felt completely hopeless.

“I don’t know where he’ll be,” she said, her tone weak and deflated, and she slouched against her headboard. “Besides, I don’t even know if he’ll _want_ to see me.”

A cool hand came to rest over her own, and Anna looked over at her sister, who was now smiling softly at her. 

“You know,” she started, and brushed a piece of loose hair back behind her ear. “When I heard about the Hans interview, I made sure that I got hold of Kristoff straight away. Olaf had already messaged me to say that he was coming here, but I knew that Kristoff probably wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on until later on in the day, unless someone from his team got to him first.”

Anna nodded, once – that made sense.

“I managed to get hold of his number through Ryder – don't ask, it was one of those ask-around things – and as soon as I told him, he was the one who suggested coming to see you. He didn’t even ask if he could, or should; he just asked me to forward him the address of where you would be. I don’t even think he gave it a second thought.”

Anna was quiet for a moment as she thought about that. 

“I... really?” she asked, and she felt a little taken aback by the explanation. 

She had just assumed that Elsa had been the one to suggest that Kristoff came to her, which she had greatly appreciated – she had never even thought to consider that he would have been the one to suggest coming to her. After all, Anna figured that he’d feel so uncomfortable and awkward about coming to the castle that he would’ve needed at least a good nudge from Elsa – or, well, someone - to get him here in such a spur-of-the-moment way.

“Really,” Elsa said, still smiling as she squeezed Anna’s hand softly. “He just seemed to know that he needed to come and see you – like it was instinct, or something. Maybe that sounds silly, but – he was just so certain, and I hadn’t expected it. But – but maybe... maybe you feel the same way, too? Like he did?”

Anna bit down on her lip.

It had been the first thing that she had wanted to do.

“Maybe you’re right,” Anna murmured, and she removed her hand from underneath Elsa’s so that she could comb her fingers through her hair. “Oh, god, Elsa, you’re right,” she exclaimed, her voice louder and filled with confidence as she threw the covers back and practically jumped out of bed. “I need to go and see him, I can’t believe I’ve waited all _night,_ and -”

Elsa let out a soft laugh from where she remained sat on the bed, her eyes dancing over her sister with amusement. 

“Anna, breathe,” she told her. “Come on – let’s hurry up and get you ready. We can start with your hair.”

.

.

.

Anna had never actually been to Kristoff’s apartment before, but he had spoken about it casually - mostly in passing to her - enough times that she was able to locate it without too much difficulty. 

She had only taken two wrong turns on the drive over, and even then, she hadn’t steered completely off route, so she had managed to find her way back easily enough.

It wasn’t often that Anna had the opportunity to drive herself places. Her father often insisted that she take a driver and a palace car – mostly for his own sanity and peace of mind, rather than practicality or logistics. But she had been in such a rush to get out and track Kristoff down that she hadn’t bothered to update anyone of her whereabouts (or the fact that she was going to miss breakfast), and so nobody had questioned her about how she would get to wherever it was she was going. 

Anna had been able to rush to her car and drive off, confident that her sister would explain her absence.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence down the long hallway that was lined with doors; and Anna bounced nervously from foot to foot, her eyes wide as she drank in the unfamiliar environment. She hadn’t known what to expect - after all, Kristoff’s cabin was pretty luxurious, but he’d explained to her that it had been funded by new money - a recent purchase, his biggest one yet - and he hadn’t been shy about telling her that it wasn’t something he would have ever been able to afford prior to signing his contract.

This was certainly no penthouse apartment, or even a particularly fancy building, but it was his, so it was perfect.

There was no answer to her knock, and Anna inhaled and counted to sixty before she knocked again, a little louder this time. Still, there was no response, and the redhead worried her bottom lip as she attempted to squint into the peep hole. 

It wasn’t quite nine-thirty yet, so she supposed that there was a slim chance that Kristoff may well have still been in bed, fast asleep; and even if he _was_ here rather than at his cabin, there was an equally good chance that she had remembered incorrectly, and therefore this was the wrong apartment after all -

The sound of a lock being turned caught her attention, and Anna sprang back onto her heels from where she had been leaning on her tiptoes to peer into the hole. The door creaked open loudly, revealing a shirtless, sweaty Kristoff.

He wore nothing but a pair of loose, baggy dark shorts and his boxing gloves - although one glove was tucked under his armpit, and she supposed that he must have had to remove it in order to open the door for her - and he hadn’t bothered with trainers or socks, leaving him stood barefoot before her.

Even with a deep scowl on his masculine face, he still looked magnificent.

Anna’s heart thundered in her chest as she tried her hardest not to let her eyes linger on the broad expanse of skin that was on offer to them. 

“Kristoff,” she breathed, and her shoulders sagged in relief over the fact that she had found him so easily. 

She had considered the possibility that most of her morning may have been spent trying to track him down, yet here he was, in the first place that she had looked.

Maybe Elsa had been right when she had hinted about instinct and intuition.

Kristoff stared at her for what felt like an awfully long time, and the silence between them seemed to grow awkward, which she found unusual. 

Anna wondered if she had overstepped – what if she had been correct earlier, what if he didn’t want to see her – but then he stepped backwards ever so slightly, and Anna took the movement to be an invitation for her to follow him inside. If she had misread him, then he didn’t say or do anything to correct her; and she slowly stepped into his apartment, her light eyes dancing over the unfamiliar territory as she did so.

Kristoff’s apartment was nothing like his cabin, and it took Anna all of a few short seconds to realise that. It was modern, she supposed – all simple grey walls and laminate flooring – and it didn’t have quite the same rustic, cozy vibe that his cabin had. 

There were no homely touches, either; no family photographs to line the walls or personal trinkets that hinted what kind of life Kristoff led before all of this, and she wondered whether he had taken them all with him when he had moved to the cabin.

He closed the door behind her, and then he was gone. 

Kristoff moved silently through his apartment – he didn’t even offer her a grunt in acknowledgement of her presence – and although Anna felt incredibly awkward, she pushed through the way that her hands trembled and followed where he had walked towards what appeared to be a home-made gym.

A floor-length mirror covered the expanse of one small wall, and there were a few weights, mats, ropes and other accessories scattered unevenly over the floor. A well-used punching bag stood in one corner of the room, and Anna watched in silence from the doorway as Kristoff replaced the glove that he had removed and started to punch fiercely at the bag.

Anna supposed that this must have been what he had been doing before she arrived and interrupted him, and although she thought that his whole demeanor seemed a little off, she allowed him this; figured that he needed the time to clear his head, and it wasn’t exactly like she had given him a heads up that she was making her way over to see him, so she supposed that it was fair for him to want to finish what it was that he was doing before she showed up.

Besides, it felt almost therapeutic to watch him like this, and it seemed somewhat easier to pay attention to the tiny details that she didn’t always notice so much; like the way his golden hair shook and moved on his head with each punch, or the way in which the toned muscles of his back practically shone from the sweat that trickled down his skin, or the way in which the waistband of his shorts fell a little lower down his hips when he bounced from foot-to-foot in a particular way...

Anna had been watching him from where she was positioned in the doorway for at least a few minutes when Kristoff threw a particularly hard punch at the bag, and she started in surprise as it collapsed on the floor with a loud smack. 

Anna could tell by the way in which his shoulders slumped that he had spotted her reaction in the mirror, and his gloved hands fell loosely by his sides as he inhaled long, deep breaths.

On the drive over from the palace, Anna had imagined how this interaction would go. She had played the potential conversation(s) in her mind at least a dozen times, picturing all of the different ways in which they would, or could, go along with the different things that they would say to one another. 

Anna hadn’t really considered the possibility of him completely blanking her, but she supposed that this may have been what he needed to do in order to work through the frustration he felt over losing -

Yet a voice stirred within her and caused her to pause.

It didn’t give him an excuse to be _rude_.

The thing was, Anna hated confrontation; and so the words surprised her as they fell from her tongue. 

“You don’t have to ignore me, you know,” she said; and she hadn’t intended to sound so snarky, but she equally hadn’t planned to say anything at all, so – you know.

Besides, the fact that Kristoff had so far completely ignored her with such ease stung more than just a little, and it wasn’t as though she planned on standing here in silence for the rest of the morning, waiting for him to speak to her.

She recalled the way in which he had hurried to comfort her just a few days earlier, and how pleased she had been to see him.

It hurt to think that he didn’t feel the same way towards her now.

Kristoff turned to glance at her over one of his broad shoulders, and the way he looked at her then took her back to the last time that she had confronted him – weeks and weeks ago now, at Oaken’s gym. His dark eyes were usually so soft when they looked over at her, so gentle and pure; but now, there was an unfamiliar hardness to them that she didn’t quite like so much.

He huffed at her, and she cocked her head slightly – _god_ , he looked so _tense_. 

“What do you want me to say, Anna?” he asked her, his eyes narrowed; and then he turned his whole body more towards her, enough so that she could see the fair hairs that speckled across his broad chest and the freckles that danced randomly across his abdomen.

Anna didn’t want to argue with him – especially not when she could appreciate the fact that he was hardly going to be in the best of moods right now – but she certainly wasn’t going to stand around and be ignored.

“I - god, Kris, I don’t know; how about a _hello_?”

Kristoff rolled his eyes at her words, and the irritation that she had felt quickly bubbled to anger within her stomach. Goodness, he was so infuriating.

 _Why did he have to be so_ difficult _?_

Anna hadn’t meant to say those words out loud, but she had an awful habit of saying what she thought; and whilst she muttered them under her breath, the way in which he stood a little taller and tensed even more proved that he heard her. Kristoff suddenly appeared so defensive, and he narrowed his eyes at her as he spoke.

“Difficult?” he asked, and there was a bitterness to his tone that was so unfamiliar. “Really, Anna?"

Anna’s eyes widened incredulously at his words. 

“I - Kristoff, I’m trying, okay? I’m here and I’m - _ugh_ , look, I don’t want to argue with you, okay?” she said, and she exhaled deeply. 

Kristoff looked her up and down several times before he exhaled, too, and his body relaxed ever so slightly. 

“Look - I’m sorry that you lost your fight. I didn’t - maybe I shouldn’t have just turned up unannounced, but I had to see you. I had to - I wanted to apologise -”

“Anna, I -”

“ _No_ ,” she interrupted, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “No. Let me finish. I – I know that this is my fault. I know that I've been a huge distraction for you these last few days, and now you’ve lost the fight, because of me. I guess Oaken is probably so mad at me, too -”

“Anna, really -”

“- god, he’s probably _furious_ ; but I think I kind of deserve that, because I knew that you weren’t training as much as you should have been doing, and I didn’t even try and encourage you, but it felt so _good_ -”

“Hans showed up at the fight.”

“ - and I... I - what?”

Silence passed between them for a few seconds; and Anna couldn’t think, could hardly even breathe, and she just stared over at him, dumbfounded by his words.

She had to have misheard him. 

Yes, that’s right – she _had_ to have done, because what he just told her made absolutely no sense at all. It had to be impossible. 

Well, it wasn’t physically impossible, of course; it could have been so, but she still thought that Kristoff had to be wrong - there was absolutely no way that Hans could be here, in her country, so close to where she was and the people that she loved. 

There was just no way that that could be possible.

Right?

Anna could hear Kristoff’s voice, but he sounded distant and far away as he spoke. 

“Anna, are you alright?”

The princess swallowed thickly. 

“Kristoff,” she murmured as she squeezed her eyes shut and brought her fingers to her temples. “Kris, I don’t feel so good.”

Anna couldn’t quite catch her breath – it seemed to be trapped in her chest, and she faltered each time that she attempted to inhale – and she kept her eyes tightly shut as panic rose within her. Anna couldn’t remember the last time that she’d had a panic attack – it had to have been months - and she could barely even remember how she dealt with them.

Strong hands moved hers away from where she had been practically clawing at her cheeks before they came to rest on both of her shoulders, and the sensation of his skin upon her own grounded her slightly. 

“Look at me,” he said, his voice so steady and sure and strong, and Anna followed his command.

His honey brown eyes were right there when she opened her own, and Kristoff had bent at his knees so that he could be at eye-level with her. Whilst Anna could sense the underlying concern on his features, he still seemed so calm; like he knew exactly what to say to her and how to say it.

“Hey,” he murmured, “hey - breathe with me,” he encouraged her, and Anna focused as hard as she could on the way in which his chest rose and fell and rose and fell with each inhale and exhale. 

Her own breaths were shaky at first, but the rhythm of his breathing helped her own, and soon enough she was able to inhale and exhale at the same rate as him. 

“That’s it,” he praised her, a soft smile on his face. “Good girl. Just breathe.”

Anna blushed at his words. She knew how innocently he meant them, but her mind was so warped when it came to him – it was all his doing, really; all his fault for looking and sounding the way that he did. 

She stuttered as she shook her head from side to side, and a harsh laugh escaped her throat.

She felt ridiculous.

“I’m sorry,” she told him, and he silenced her immediately.

“Don’t,” he told her, his tone almost stern, and Anna noted how serious he looked. She wondered what he saw on her face, because his expression softened slightly before he exhaled. “Look - come on. Let’s go and sit you down.”

“But I -”

He cocked a brow at her, and Anna closed her mouth. “Come on. We can talk once you’re sat down. And comfortable.”

.

.

.

A good fifteen minutes or so later, Anna was comfortably nestled underneath the thick blankets that rested on top of Kristoff’s double bed; cozy and warm and content.

Once he had sat her down on the soft mattress, he had insisted on feeding her. 

When she had confessed that she hadn’t eaten yet, he had frowned so deeply that she had felt guilty, and he had told her that it was no wonder she had felt so dizzy at the news of Hans’ appearance at the fight when she hadn’t eaten or drank since supper the night before.

Kristoff had told her that he didn’t really have much in since he hadn’t exactly been expecting company, but he made her several rounds of toast, and Anna made sure to eat every last piece, even though she soon felt full from the bread. She had smiled shyly at him as he watched her finish off the final piece, and once Anna had finished eating, Kristoff had insisted that she lay down.

It hadn’t taken much for her to convince him to join her in bed.

Despite Anna’s insistence that she wanted Kristoff to spare no detail for her, it didn’t take him an awful lot of time to explain what had happened. The two of them started out lying side by side, and by the end of his story, Anna was wrapped up in his arms; her head nestled underneath his chin, her fingers dancing over his strong chest.

Kristoff told her how he had caught wind of there being a royal present at the fight, and so he had naturally assumed that Anna had come to watch him - _who else could it have been?_ he said – although he admitted that he had been a little suspicious, since the two of them had already agreed that she wouldn’t be coming to see him fight until his final fight of the season next week.

Anna felt awful as she thought about how he would have felt, assuming that she was there – would he have been happy, or excited, or even a little amused? Would his lips have quirked up in that half-smile that she loved so much at the thought of her being there to support him, even though she shouldn’t have been?

He told Anna how just twenty minutes before his fight was due to start, a call came through to his room to state that a visitor had requested an audience with him; and again, he assumed that it could have only been her - _since nobody else would ever request an audience with me_ \- so he approved it.

“What did he say to you?” Anna murmured against him; and she couldn't resist the temptation from the way in which her lips ghosted across his skin, so she pressed a chaste kiss to his chest. 

His skin was still salty from the sweat, and he didn’t smell particularly great, but Anna didn’t care so long as she was close to him.

So long as he kept holding her and didn’t let go.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kristoff replied. 

One of Anna’s palms had been lightly resting on top of his bicep, but she moved it so that it rested flat against his chest as she tilted her head back so that she could look him in the eyes. She wore her best no-nonsense expression on her face, but Kristoff didn’t seem to buy it, and he blinked down at her, unphased. 

“I mean it,” he told her. “It doesn’t matter.”

Anna sighed before she returned to his chest, burrowing her way underneath his chin so that she was pressed firmly against him. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and when they were close like this, it was almost easy to forget that the whole world existed, to forget that she was a princess with a psychopath for an ex-boyfriend, and that he was a boxer who had just lost his penultimate fight of the season because of said ex-boyfriend -

“They said you seemed – _unfocused_ ,” Anna said, her voice barely above a whisper as she recalled what Elsa had told her.

To her relief, Kristoff didn’t tense or flinch at her statement. Instead, one of his large hands snaked up her back to find purchase in her hair, and he began to casually run his fingers through the auburn strands.

The blonde grunted. “I let him get into my head,” he told her. “That’s on me.”

“Kristoff -”

“I mean it, Anna,” he interrupted, and although she wanted to protest more – the words I'm sorry on the tip of her tongue – she sensed that he had no interest in hearing it, and so she just snuggled herself impossibly closer to him. 

Kristoff let out a heavy breath as she nudged one of her legs in between both of his, and she thought of how intimate it felt – to be so tightly wrapped around one another like this, in his bed.

She thought it was such a shame that she was fully clothed whilst he was half-naked, and she wondered how it might feel to be wrapped around him like this under different circumstances.

A comfortable silence settled over them, and Anna felt as though she was halfway to sleeping when she was overcome with the urge to speak again. 

“I hate him so much,” she confessed, her words muffled slightly by Kristoff’s chest. “I feel so – so stupid for even dating him in the first place.”

Kristoff was quiet for long enough that Anna thought he must have fallen asleep until he finally spoke. 

“You’re not stupid,” he told her, and Anna scoffed. Anna could almost feel Kristoff frown against the top of her head, and he squeezed her hips a little tighter. “You don’t have to think like that anymore. You’re my girl, now,” he told her, and Anna knew that he would be able to feel her grin widely against the bare skin of his muscular chest.

She wondered if he could feel the way in which her heart pounded within her chest, too.

“I am?” she asked him, unsure of whether she was awake, because this was starting to feel like a conversation that she would dream up.

“’Course,” he responded, and he gave her hair an affectionate tug. “What - you didn’t think that you were?”

Anna wanted to pull back again so that she could look up at him and see his eyes as he spoke to her; but her face was near enough the same colour as her hair at this point, and so she couldn’t find the courage within her to actually look up at him. Instead, Anna bit down on her lip to control her grin as she stayed pressed against his chest.

“I don’t know,” the redhead told him with a half-shrug. 

She thought of how perfect it felt to be pressed up so tightly against him, how secure and safe she felt like this; and she wondered whether they were always supposed to find each other, because she certainly couldn’t imagine fitting so wonderfully against any other man. 

“You’ve - well, you’ve never asked, so...”

Kristoff shuddered lightly when her fingernails raked over his skin. “I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to ask,” he told her.

She frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re a princess, so -”

“So?”

He pinched her hip lightly over her jeans. “You know what I mean.”

Anna sighed against him, and she watched as goosebumps broke out across his flesh from where she breathed on him. 

She couldn’t help but feel so _powerful_ around him. 

“I do,” she admitted.

Anna had been raised in a castle, had a title and a fortune that most people could only dream of. People curtsied to her and crowds cheered for her, and people seemed to be genuinely interested in the lives of her and her family.

She understood how daunting that had to be for Kristoff.

So, she cleared her throat and tilted her chin back so that she could look at him once again. The hardness that was there in his eyes earlier had completely dissipated, and now all that she could see was warmth and kindness, and – dare she even think it – _love_.

Perhaps he loved her, too.

Anna’s hand moved from where it had been resting against his chest so that it could snake around the back of his neck, and she ran her fingers through the short hairs there, a soft smile on her face as she did so. She couldn't help herself but to blush under the intensity of his gaze, but her eyes didn’t leave his for a moment as she spoke. 

“I’m yours,” she told him defiantly, and she hoped with everything she had that he understood how much she meant that statement. “God, Kris – I'll be your girl for as long as you’ll have me.”

He kissed her, then; and she felt the word that the two of them didn’t dare to say aloud just yet.

 _Forever_.


	18. Chapter 18

“Come in, sweetheart.”

Anna smiled softly as she stepped into her father’s office, her eyes bright and expectant. 

It wasn’t often that she came here – it had easily been months since she last entered the room, and from memory, that had only been a fleeting visit so that she could ask him a question. 

The office was all oak furnishings and fancy tapestries and old portraits that hung from the wall, and although nothing about it was distinctly unlike the rest of the palace, it still suffocated her more than any other room.

So she avoided it as much as possible.

Her father was sitting at his desk in the centre of the room, and for once, he wasn’t surrounded by important-looking documents and stacks of paper. He held out his hand and motioned for her to sit across from him, and Anna paused before she sat down in the chair: this felt incredibly formal, and she wasn’t convinced that she liked where this was going.

Her father seemed to sense her hesitation.

“Please, Anna, sit down,” he told her, and Anna did as she was told. 

The redhead folded her hands in her lap and made a conscious effort to keep her back straight.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, and she narrowed her eyes slightly as she spoke.

Her father opened his mouth and then closed it again, seeming to think of what it was he was going to say, and Anna waited for the words of course, but they never came. Instead, Agnarr sighed softly.

“There’s something that I need to talk to you about,” he started, and then paused; but Anna waited quietly for him to continue. “It’s regarding your... boyfriend.”

Anna tensed slightly at that. “Kristoff?” she asked, confusion etched upon her features. She certainly hadn’t been expecting this.

Agnarr nodded, his expression so neutral and plain that it gave nothing away. “Yes - Kristoff,” he said. “There’s been – well, Anna, I don’t know how much you actually know -”

The thing with her father was that he had this unique ability to transition from Agnarr to King with relative ease; which made sense, since he spent so much of his time playing a role for other people. Overall, it meant that he usually wasn’t so – well, awkward when it came to conversations like this; particularly since he was the one who had summoned her here in a hurry. 

Whenever anything needed to be addressed, he put on his _I’m-in-charge_ voice and dealt with it, so the fact that he now stumbled over his words gave Anna a sense of what this may all be about.

“Is this because of Hans going to his fight?” she asked, her brows pulled together slightly; and Agnarr notably relaxed at her words.

Her father never liked to discuss her ex-boyfriend, and it often felt like he was walking on eggshells around her whenever he had to bring him up. She supposed that it made sense, considering how hurt she had been because of Hans.

“So you know about that, he said, and Anna nodded. “Anna - how _much_ do you know about that?”

Now, it was Anna’s turn to stumble. 

“I - well. Uh. Not an awful lot, I suppose,” she said with a shrug. “Kristoff told me that Hans was there, but he, um, he -”

“Spared you the details,” her father finished her sentence with a quirk of his brow, and Anna nodded to confirm his suspicion. “Well,” Agnarr stated, and he inhaled deeply before he spoke. “That was - noble of him, but I’m afraid that someone else decided that those details shouldn’t be spared. Not for you, or for the rest of the world, in fact.”

Now, Anna was even more confused. “What?”

“Anna, someone recorded their conversation,” her father said; and the more that he said to her, the more authoritative his tone seemed to become. “It’s muffled – we think that they recorded it through a door. But it’s still clear enough, and will be released by the media in approximately,” - he glanced at his watch - “one hour.”

Anna’s heart began to pound in her chest as she struggled to process her father’s words, and what this all meant.

This could not be happening.

_Hadn’t he done enough to her?_

Had it not been enough that he had worn her down throughout their relationship – that his actions and manipulative words made her question everything that she thought that she knew about herself, about love?

Had it not been enough for him to know that even now, she still second-guessed herself when it came to how much she should eat, or drink; because heaven forbid someone snapped a photo of her from an unflattering angle and speculated that she was pregnant, or worse: _fat_.

Had he not been satisfied by the way that he had made her cry, even as she left him? 

Had it not been enough for him to release a snarky interview laced with smart-ass comments about her and Kristoff?

Why did he have to come here, too? Why did he have to show his face at Kristoff’s fight; why did he have to speak to him in the first place -

Why couldn’t he just leave them both _alone_?

“What?” Anna repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. “How? Why? I – can’t - can’t you stop it?”

Agnarr shook his head from side to side. “Anna, you know that I can’t. They only have a duty to inform us before things like this are released, but I have no power to stop them -”

“How bad is it?” she asked, interrupting him as he told her what she already knew to be true. King or not, his title didn’t hold that much power in truth, and Agnarr had no authority over the media. 

He didn’t respond immediately – though in all fairness, she didn’t give him much opportunity to even breathe before she spoke again. 

“Oh no,” she murmured, shaking her head from side to side, “I - does Kristoff even know about any of this?”

“I doubt it,” her father said, his expression solemn as he regarded her. “You know how this works, Anna – the press have an agreement to warn us before they release this kind of thing, but I highly doubt that they have a similar contract with – well, with -”

“With a boxer,” she murmured, her voice soft and bitter all at once; and Agnarr sighed softly as he leaned further into his chair.

Silence passed between the two of them for a few beats whilst he gave her the opportunity to process the overwhelming information, and Anna eventually looked up from her hands with a determined expression.

“How bad is it?” she asked, repeating her earlier question. He frowned, and Anna softened slightly. “Please. Tell me.”

She needed to know.

“I think that perhaps you should listen to it yourself,” her father said, and his words surprised her. 

Anna had expected him to fight her on this – hadn't considered that this might be a choice that he gave her willingly, or an option that he actively encouraged. 

“In terms of how the media will interpret it – Mr Bjorgman will certainly have the upper hand. I’m sure that his management will be thankful for the positive image that this will portray of him.”

Anna practically scowled at her father’s words. “I doubt it,” she told him. “Kristoff doesn’t like any attention. Especially with his final fight being this weekend...”

Agnarr let out a sigh. “I wasn’t sure what I thought of your relationship before,” he told her, and looked her in the eyes as he spoke. “I thought – I don’t know. Perhaps it was too soon, or you weren’t quite ready after everything that had... happened before. But now, well -” he smiled softly, and it just about met his eyes. “You should listen to it, if you feel ready; and you can make up your own mind as to how you think he comes across.”

“I need to warn him,” Anna murmured to herself as she straightened. 

Her fingers twitched impatiently in her lap, and she knew what she needed to do first and foremost. 

“But - you’re right. I need to listen to it. I _want_ to listen to it.”

Agnarr nodded his head once. “So long as you’re sure,” he said. “I’ll have it sent over to you. Just give me a few minutes, alright?”

Anna sighed before she nodded, too. “Alright.”

.

.

.

“Do you want me to listen to it with you?” Elsa asked as she hovered in the doorway, but Anna shook her head from side to side from where she lay in her bed, snuggled underneath the thick duvet covers.

Somehow, she knew that this was something that she needed to do alone.

She told Elsa as much, as the blonde nodded her head once before she stepped out of the room. 

“If you need anything, Anna, you know where I am,” the older of the two murmured, and then she softly pulled Anna’s bedroom door to a close.

Anna let out a sigh as she unlocked her phone and stared at the audio recording that her father had forwarded to her just minutes before. Anna had explained the situation to Elsa over and over again in order to kill some time whilst she waited for the recording to be sent to her, but now, she felt like she couldn’t do anything apart from stare at her phone screen.

She was a little nervous, although she wasn’t quite sure why that was. She figured that there was no use in prolonging it even more – after all, she still had to call Kristoff and update him of the incoming media storm – and so she raised a shaky hand to the screen and pressed play.

Anna thought that her father must have been on to something with his assumption that it had been recorded through a door, because their voices certainly were muffled, yet Anna was still able to make them out clearly enough. The beginning of the conversation had been cut off, so Anna couldn’t be certain as to how long Kristoff had been talking with Hans before the recording began.

“-man to man.” That was Hans – she would recognise that arrogant accent just about anywhere.

“Yeah, I’ll pass on that, thanks,” Kristoff said, and Anna smiled despite herself. 

He sounded awfully sarcastic, and she practically _swooned_.

There was a brief pause, and then Hans spoke again. His voice was a little louder, as if he had stepped closer towards the person recording, and Anna wondered if he had been walking towards the door. 

“She’s not worth it, you know. Trust me – I'm talking from experience. She might look all sweet and innocent, but she’s nothing but hard work; and she doesn’t even make it really worth your while, if you know what I mean.”

Kristoff didn’t respond, though Anna imagined that it was mostly due to him trying to keep himself calm – she could only imagine the look that he would have been giving Hans at that moment. She recalled the way he had scowled at her when she had turned up after his loss, and she thought of the ways in which he stared down his opponents in the ring; and Anna almost shivered at the image of an even more intense look from him.

“You do know what I mean, don’t you? Of course you do – Anna never was the type to wait around – a man so much as casts a glance in her direction, and then the next thing you know, she’s on her knees -”

Anna’s cheeks burn a deep red at the thought of her father having listened to this, but then there is a muffled sound on the recording before Kristoff’s voice booms through much louder and clearer than before; enough to make Anna wonder whether the door had been opened at this point.

“Don’t fucking talk about her like that,” he said.

Some more scuffling in the background. “Put me down -”

There’s a familiar scoff, and despite the tears that have welled in her eyes at the words that are so hurtful and equally unfair, she smiled at the sound. 

She wondered what he had done. Had he really lifted Hans off the ground? She knew he was strong, but could he _really_ -

“You’ve got some nerve, you know – coming to _my_ dressing room to talk about _my_ _girl_ like that,” Kristoff said, and despite the nature of their conversation, her heart near enough skipped a beat within her chest.

 _God_ , she really had fallen hard for this man; and her resolve wavered slightly as a tear trickled down one of her cheeks, although it wasn’t from hurt so much as it was from the overwhelming load of emotions that she felt towards this man.

Even the sound of Hans letting out a bark of a laugh couldn’t wipe the smile from her face at Kristoff’s words. 

“ _Your_ girl? You must be a slow learner - let me put it simply for you. Princess Anna is _everyone’s_ girl, and the sooner that you realise that, the -”

There’s a loud, unfamiliar noise, and then Hans lets out a shout before Kristoff speaks again. “Get the fuck out of here,” he sneered, and Anna could imagine his face; all hard and furious and angry as he looked down at her ex-boyfriend - who had always been a little too confident with his mouth, despite the fact that he didn’t have much wit – or even common sense – to encourage such boldness.

Anna wondered what Kristoff had done to make Hans cry out. 

Had he dropped him? Pushed him? Shoved him to the floor? Was he towered above him, all tall and broad and muscular and strong; was Hans a cowering, intimidated mess before him?

Not that she had ever thought about this before, of course.

“And back the fuck off my girlfriend. Because if you don’t, then the next time I see you, I’ll make sure you regret every lie you ever told about her.”

The sound of a door slamming shut on the recording caused Anna to jump in surprise, and then there was nothing but silence. The recording didn’t end for another twenty seconds, though, so Anna continued to listen until the end.

It seemed to her that Hans had spotted the person who had been recording the conversation, and he cried out to them for help. 

“Did you see that? That _brute_ just assaulted me, he _threw_ me -”

The recording abruptly cut off there, and despite the few tears that had trickled down her face whilst she had listened to it, a soft, light laugh escaped Anna’s lips. 

For a few seconds, she enjoyed the silence that surrounded her in the blanket of her bedroom, and she wondered what kind of headlines would be published in the news in just a short while.

Kristoff wouldn’t like it, she knew; but she still felt incredibly relieved to know that he was the one who would come off better after all of this. It wasn’t as though Anna cared much about what anyone else thought of her relationship with the boxer – this was theirs, nobody else's, and so nothing else mattered – but it pleased her to know that soon enough, thousands of people across the country (and the rest of the world, for that matter) would get an insight into the kind of man that the princess of Norway had fallen in love with.

Because _yes_ , she had well and truly fallen for him; and Anna was confident that there was no going back now.

After a few minutes of thinking in silence, Anna eventually re-opened her phone so that she could call Kristoff. She had been dubious as to whether or not he would answer – after all, it was mid-morning, so he would more than likely be undergoing some intense training at Oaken’s gym to prepare for his final fight this coming weekend – but he had picked up on the third ring.

“Hey,” he said, sounding a little out of breath.

A small smile danced onto Anna’s lips at the sound of his voice. 

“Hey, yourself,” she responded. “How busy are you? I just quickly wanted – well, _needed_ , to talk to you. It's kind of important, and I wanted to be the one to speak to you about it first.”

“Uh -” he sounded a little confused as he processed her words. “Not too busy. Well, I mean, I’m training, obviously; but I...” Kristoff didn’t say it, but Anna could almost hear the unspoken words that lingered on the tip of his tongue; the ones that he was too shy to tell her just yet, so early into their budding relationship. 

_I’m never too busy for you._

“I can speak for a minute.”

Anna nodded, although he naturally couldn’t see her. “Okay - I, that’s good. Great, even. Although this may take a little longer than a minute...”

“Is everything okay?” Kristoff asked, and Anna held back a giggle at the worry that laced through his voice. 

It wasn’t as though she enjoyed causing him concern, but her stomach flipped something chronic whenever he acted so protective towards her.

“Everything’s fine, Kristoff,” she told him. “On my end, at least. I mean – I don’t know how you’ll feel about all of this. Well, I think I know how you’ll feel about it all, but I guess that I could be wrong -”

“Anna.”

She blushed and cleared her throat. “Right,” she said, and nodded again. “Rambling. Sorry. Got it.” She let out a long, deep breath through her nose before she continued. “Kristoff, they’ve - someone recorded your conversation with Hans, the other day,” she told him. “They recorded it and sold it to one of the newspapers, who are going to be releasing it in about” - she checked her phone - “thirty minutes.”

Kristoff was so silent that Anna worried that the call might have cut out. “Kristoff?” she asked, her voice tentative and soft.

“Oh, _shit_ ,” he murmured, although he didn’t sound mad so much as he sounded completely and utterly surprised, and Anna stifled a laugh at his curse.

 _Oh, shit,_ indeed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 70k+ words, _lol_ , how did we get here?!
> 
> thank you for all the love you've shown this little story, your comments on here and Tumblr have me grinning like mad!!!

“You didn’t tell me that you have a girlfriend.”

Kristoff narrowed his eyes as he increased the speed at which he jumped rope. 

This was certainly _not_ a conversation that he wanted to have today. His mood was already sour enough – he just wanted to finish off his training, focus on this weekend’s fight, and speak to Anna on the phone tonight as though nothing had happened at all.

She had attempted to reassure him about all of this when she called earlier that morning; had told him how well he came across and how good he sounded, but Kristoff knew that things were never so simple.

Truth be told, he could barely remember what he had actually said to Hans, since it had taken every ounce of his self-control not to stride over to him and punch him square in the jaw. In another life, Kristoff would have taken great pleasure out of doing just that; but he did this for a living – technique had been drilled into him after months and months of intense training, and the blonde knew that he could quite easily do some serious damage with just one punch.

Kristoff had known better than to be overly optimistic about how the press would react to this situation. In all fairness, Anna had been mostly correct – an awful lot of the media outlets seemed to be portraying him as some kind of hero, though that didn’t make him feel much better, either. He wasn’t a knight in shining armour, or _prince fisticuff’s_ , as they so loved to call him; he was just Kristoff, a rookie boxer whose only goal had been to make sure that his ma was well looked after and then return to his quiet, peaceful life.

The traditional newspapers weren’t trying to portray him as Anna’s saviour, at least; although they didn’t seem to be particularly fond of his use of colourful language, and Kristoff had scoffed at one journalist who had been especially horrified at his habit of cursing. 

He had to wonder what they expected. It wasn’t like he’d had a charmed life like Anna had - he hasn’t been raised in a castle or trained on how to pronounce his words properly or what to say and not to say, No, Kristoff had spent most of his early childhood in foster homes; and even when he was adopted by Bulda and Cliff, they still lived North, near the mountains – and where he was from, people wouldn’t even bat an eyelid when you said _fuck_.

A few outlets had also chosen to speculate about what it was that he had actually _done_ to Hans to cause the other man to squeal the way that he had. In reality, all that Kristoff had done was grab him by the collar - alright, so he had picked him up from the floor; but it wasn’t exactly his fault that the prince was so short – and thrown him across the way so that he skidded out of his dressing room. Still, some journalists had lapped up the way that Hans had called him a brute and chosen to write a whole piece about that in particular.

Oaken regarded him in the mirror with a tilted head as Kristoff continued to jump rope and ignore him. The older man was silent for a while, and Kristoff focused so hard on increasing his speed that he almost forgot that he was still there until he spoke again.

“You love her, don’t you?”

Kristoff faltered, and his feet stuttered over the rope, and then he released his grasp on it entirely so that it fell loosely to the floor. The action was a little dramatic, he supposed – Kristoff had never really been one for theatrics, but here he was – and he attempted to steady his laboured breathing before he raised his chin so that he could meet Oaken’s eyes through the mirror.

_Was there any point in fighting this anymore?_

The whole world had the chance to hear what he’d had to say about Norway’s princess, and this was _Oaken_ ; not a journalist or a royal reporter, he was his trainer and his friend -

Kristoff cleared his throat before he ran one hand through his damp hair, brushing the strands back from his face so that they didn’t tickle his forehead. He really _was_ long overdue for a haircut.

“Yeah,” he said with a nod, still a little out of breath from the workout. He genuinely had been working hard to try and increase his speed with the rope. “Yeah, I – I think I do.”

.

.

.

“You didn’t tell me that you have a girlfriend!”

Kristoff literally jumped at the loud exclamation, and although he would recognise that voice anywhere, it still caused his heart to pound within his chest from the sheer surprise.

“Shit, fuck - _ma_ -”

His mother frowned at him and crossed her arms over her chest from where she was sitting on his couch with her feet up. “Kristoff -”

Alright, so most people in the North couldn’t care less about what kind of language a person used, but his mother had never been fond of his habit of cursing. Still, she had surprised him by being here, so it wasn’t as though he had fully intended to swear at her.

“What are you doing here?” he deflected with a shake of his head as he tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter. “You didn’t tell me that you were coming over, I would have -”

She interrupted him with a roll of her eyes. “And I already told you, you didn’t tell me that you have a girlfriend. Your own mother!”

He exhaled deeply. “ _Ma_.”

“I can’t believe that you haven’t told me any of this! It’s a good job I’m a reasonable, rational woman, Kristoff, because any other mother would have killed their son after finding that out in a newspaper!”

Now, she was teasing him; a wide grin on her face despite the feigned anger of her words, and she let out a laugh at his exasperated expression.

“You already knew,” he told her defensively.

“No I didn’t. You told me that you were just seeing her. There’s a difference.”

Kristoff rolled his eyes playfully as he walked towards the kitchen. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but it was almost six o’clock, and he had to eat on schedule – it was in his contract.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise,” he called over his shoulder. He needn’t have bothered – his mother was close behind him, and she followed him into the small kitchen.

Kristoff had been tempted a few times to sell the apartment once the season was over. There were bigger places just as close to Oaken’s gym that he could upgrade to, and he was only ever here when he couldn’t be at the cabin; but he’d have the freedom to be there most of the time once the season was officially over and done with.

Still, there was a part of him that didn’t want to let go of this place: it was the first place that he had ever bought, and it had been good enough for him _before_ \- he could still remember how proud his parents had been when they first came to see it – so he figured that it was good enough for him now.

“So, are you going to actually tell me, then?” Bulda asked, and she reached out to nudge him in the ribs for good measure as he bent down to grab his pre-prepared meal out of the fridge.

It had defrosted throughout the day, so he only needed to shove it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The surprise contact from his mother caused him to jump a little, and the sudden movement caused Kristoff to hit his head on the roof of the fridge.

He chuckled, but he said nothing as he closed the fridge door and then crossed over the kitchen towards the microwave. 

He could feel his mother’s eyes burning into the back of his head, but he worked methodically – and quietly - for a couple of seconds. Once the meal was warming, he turned around and leaned against the counter. The two were standing directly across from one another, and Kristoff sighed at the mischievous expression on her face.

This was another conversation that he didn’t want to have to have today, but here he was; and he knew his mother was stubborn enough to keep pushing him on it, no matter how grumpy or irritated he became from her insistence.

Best just to get it over and done with.

“Ma, I've got a girlfriend.”

Bulda squealed and shrieked in excitement as though she genuinely had no idea of this development, and she rushed over to squeeze him in a tight hug. 

Kristoff huffed out a laugh as her arms wrapped around his middle – he towered over her, as he had done for many years now; but he still felt so young whenever he was wrapped up in his mother’s arms; like he was that little boy who was so frightened and excited by the unfamiliar warmth that he felt from such tender human contact.

“I’m so happy for you, Kristoff,” she told him, the words muffled by his shirt, but he smiled all the same. “I can’t believe you finally got – oh, and we’ll have to meet her, you must bring her round, everyone will be so _excited_ –”

The microwave pinged to signal that his food was ready, and Bulda released him at the sound. 

“Slow down,” he told her as he turned to retrieve his food. 

Chicken and vegetables and rice: it was all that his diet seemed to consist of these days, but it smelt good all the same, and he could just about recall a time in his life – twenty years ago, now – when a hot meal wasn’t guaranteed, so he would wolf down every last bite and wouldn’t begrudge doing so too much.

“- and you should see what they’re saying about you, too! _Prince Fisticuff’s_ , can you believe it-”

Kristoff frowned at the nickname, although he had his back turned towards her, so Bulda didn’t notice.

“- and so romantic of you to defend her like that. I always told you that you were just so sweet, and now the whole world knows it, too -”

“Ma, _please_ ,” Kristoff said with a groan as he finally turned around to face her. “Can we _not_ talk about this?”

Bulda let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t tell me you’re getting shy because of all of this attention,” she said as she quirked a brow, and Kristoff shoved some of the piping hot food into his mouth so that he didn’t have to respond to her immediately. 

His mother had never really understood his preference to keep to himself – the rest of his family were so sociable, but he had always preferred peace and quiet and solitude.

He tried his best not to choke on the food, though it burned his tongue.

“You know I don’t care for it,” he told her once he had swallowed. 

He had meant what he said to her – he really didn’t want to talk about this right now, so he grasped at anything he could in order to steer the conversation in a different direction. 

“Hey - did you want something to eat?”

Bulda let out a defeated sigh, but after a beat or two – and after eyeing up his plate of food – she nodded her head. To Kristoff’s relief, she seemed to have dropped the subject of the press, and Anna; and it allowed him the pretense that everything was normal, and typical, and it made it easier to pretend that there weren’t paparazzi waiting for him at Oaken’s gym, or outside of his apartment.

Besides, even if she didn’t know it yet, it wasn’t as though his mother had long to wait for some of the answers to her questions that he just wasn’t ready, or able, to give her. In just a couple of days, his two worlds would intertwine for the first time at the final fight of the season. He knew that his mother wouldn’t miss it for the world -

And neither would Anna.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is without a doubt _the_ longest chapter that I have ever written, so be prepared for a lengthy one !! I would have probably split it into two chapters but I just thought you know what... why not. 
> 
> & if smut isn't your thing then skip past the last section :)

It was exactly ten o’clock when Anna walked hand in hand with her sister through the entryway to the stadium. The two had been led in by Ryder, who – for once – wasn't working, and were followed by several royal protection officers.

Whenever Anna went anywhere alone, she typically only opted to be accompanied by one royal protection officer; but her father insisted that whenever the two sisters went out anywhere together then they should be escorted by a minimum of five, so that’s exactly the situation that they were in tonight. 

It always felt a little over the top, and Anna had tried to insist that five tall, bulky men wearing matching suits follow two tiny women around just to draw more attention to them, but her father wouldn’t have it any other way.

 _I’m just looking out for you both,_ he had told her once; and though she had rolled her eyes, what was she supposed to say?

Ryder chatted animatedly to the sisters, clearly in a good mood about the fact that he was able to focus upon the fighting tonight as opposed to serving at the bar, although it was mostly Elsa who responded to his comments. Anna was usually so sociable, but tonight, she felt distant; her mind far away as she worried over what the evening might bring.

Kristoff’s fight was the title fight, meaning that he was the last fighter to take to the ring; and he wouldn’t be in there for at least another half an hour, depending upon how long the penultimate fight dragged on for. Anna recalled the white lie she had told him when they first met - how she had semi-convinced him that she was interested in the sport - but now, she would happily admit to him that she was only ever enthralled by a boxing match when he was the one in the ring.

And whilst Anna had the utmost confidence in his abilities – she had watched several of his fights now (online, of course), and she always took the time to read the reviews that critics made about him after each win (and the one loss); and the general consensus was that he was _very_ talented. Deep down, Anna was convinced that he would win, but a tiny voice in her mind whispered _what if,_ and the thought of watching him get beaten to a pulp frightened her half to death.

Not for the first time that day, Anna wondered over whether she had made the right choice by coming here to watch him tonight. It wasn’t as thought Kristoff had given her any inclination to believe that he didn’t want her there, but it had been several weeks since they first made plans for this, and Anna knew how easily feelings could change – especially after the events of the past two weeks. She wondered over whether he had wanted to ask her not to come, but couldn’t find it within his heart to admit it to her; and she ran over their conversation from the night before in her memory, desperately searching for any signs that he might not want her to be here after all.

 _You’re being silly,_ Elsa had told her when she voiced her reservations earlier that evening, as the two sisters prepared for their night out together. _Of course he wants you there. He was honest with you before, and he’d be honest with you again. You need to trust in that._

Elsa had been right, of course – as she usually was. Kristoff had told her the truth about his feelings after the whole _prince fisticuff’s_ drama; had gently explained to her that he thought it might be best if she sat out on the next few fights so that he could focus on – well, winning - as opposed to him being worried about the media storm that would result from her attendance. But they had planned her attendance here together, and Kristoff had given her no reason to believe that he wouldn’t be honest with her again.

“Are you ready?” Elsa asked as she turned her head over her shoulder to look Anna in the eyes. 

Ryder had already started to make his way down the stairwell towards Kristoff’s box - they had planned to sit in their usual spot, but Kristoff had insisted that Anna and her friends would be his guests of honour - but he had stopped and turned his head to look up at her, too.

Anna didn’t focus much on him, though; instead, her eyes searched her sisters, and Elsa seemed to sense the nervousness that bubbled within her. She squeezed her hand gently and offered Anna an encouraging smile.

 _You’ve got this_ , a soft, deep and familiar voice murmured in her mind, and she could almost picture him standing before her, saying those words to her. Her shoulders relaxed at the thought, and she wished that she could see him; figured that there would be a way that she could sneak into his dressing room - god knows that her ex-boyfriend had figured it out - but the last thing that she wanted to do was distract him before this fight, since it was all so important.

So Anna inhaled a deep breath before she jutted out her chin in determination and nodded her head once.

_Good girl._

.

.

.

Almost forty-five minutes later, Anna passed the box of popcorn that she had been snacking on over to Olaf, who was seated to her right. Elsa was to her left, and Honeymaren and Ryder sat beside her. There was an RPO next to Olaf and Ryder, and the remaining three sat behind Elsa, Anna and Olaf, their eyes shielded by sunglasses despite the dim lighting of the arena.

The rest of Kristoff’s box was filled with members of his team – at least, that’s who Anna assumed they were, since he never really spoke of any distant friends to her. Anna noted that tonight, there was no sign of Oaken, and she assumed that he had joined Kristoff in his dressing room to prepare for the fight.

Olaf did a playful double take at how much of the popcorn she had eaten, and Anna stifled a giggle at his over-dramatic reaction. She had just been about to comment on the fact that he was lucky that she hadn’t eaten the whole bag when the lights in the arena dimmed, signaling that the final fight of the evening was about to commence, and Anna swallowed nervously.

A booming voice came over the microphone to introduce the boxers, and the adrenaline that had started to build within her that morning seemed to reach its peak as she caught sight of a familiar mop of blonde hair exiting the tunnel. 

Anna inhaled a long, deep breath as music vibrated through the speakers of the arena, and she watched as Kristoff ducked in order to enter the ring. Much like the first time that she had seen him in this environment, his eyes were locked onto his opponent; a man as equally tall and broad, although not quite as defined, Anna thought, and she felt herself calm at the determined look on his face.

Each time that she saw him like this, she couldn’t help but marvel at how different of a man he was whenever he stepped into the boxing ring. When it was just the two of them, alone, he was always so soft and sweet; so gentle with his words and tender with his touch, all stuttered words and blushed cheeks and feather-light kisses that left her grinning like he had launched the sun into the sky for her. He so often appeared almost _shy_ around her, sometimes so uncertain of himself in the most endearing way, and it led her to often feel as though she was the one who held all of the power in their dynamic.

Anna felt powerful around Kristoff because he allowed her to be, enabled her to be, actively _encouraged_ her to be – and she was grateful for it, really, so relieved to feel in control despite the fact that he could overpower her easily, in all ways.

When he stepped into the ring, a different side of him was released, and he almost _shone_ in a way that made Anna feel far too emotional if she thought about it for too long. Here, he was strong and solid and brave, confident and forceful, skilled and tactful and intimidating; and despite the impressive overall size of him, he was so light on his feet, too.

Anna watched with narrowed eyes as members of his team fussed over him, and she noted that Oaken was indeed down there with the rest of them, although he appeared to be talking to Kristoff rather than running his hands all over the boxer.

One man fidgeted with Kristoff’s hands as he pulled on his gloves, another checked that his helmet had been placed securely, and another inserted a gum shield into his mouth. A different man stood behind where Kristoff was sat on a small chair in one corner of the ring and squeezed his bare shoulders, and Anna’s mouth watered ever so slightly as she thought about how it would feel if _she_ were the one to do that to him; how huge his tense muscles would feel underneath her fingertips, and what kind of encouraging noise would escape his mouth in appreciation of her ministrations -

There was a loud whistle, and then Kristoff stood; his dark eyes narrowed and still very much focused on his opponent, and the action caused Anna to snap out of her wandering thoughts. She needed to focus her mind right now – after all, she was here to support him, and besides; for the first time, Anna could be confident that there would be plenty of time for those kinds of thoughts later.

From where he sat beside her, Olaf gave Anna a gentle nudge, and she offered her friend a small, shy smile in return. 

He knew of her nervousness about the evening – she had spoken to him earlier, when he had called to ask about the colour of the dress she was wearing so that he could make sure that his bow tie matched. They all knew that several media outlets would be there to report on the fights, but their main focus would no doubt be on Kristoff’s guests of honour, and Olaf told her how he wanted them to look co-ordinated on any photos that were taken.

Anna’s cheeks flushed at the realisation that she had completely zoned out whilst ogling her boyfriend, and she reached over into Olaf’s lap and grabbed a rather large handful of popcorn. 

“So,” she murmured to him as she squirmed a little in her seat and squeezed her thighs together at the sight of Kristoff moving his neck from shoulder to shoulder before getting into stance as he prepared for the match to commence. “Who are we rooting for?”

Anna recalled the last time that she had asked Olaf that question, and she could tell by the delighted look in her friend's eyes that he remembered it, too. 

“Bjorgman, of course,” he responded – just as he had done the very first time that she had ever laid eyes on Kristoff – and Anna _beamed_. 

.

.

.

After three rounds, the bell rang out. The crowd had counted down to ten – although Anna had been too busy worrying her fingernails to join in – and Kristoff’s opponent hadn’t so much as moved from where he lay on the floor of the ring, and the noise of the bell was pure music to her ears as it confirmed what she had already been so certain would be true.

Kristoff had won.

The sound of the crowd screaming and cheering and whooping for him was as addictive as always, although tonight, Anna found the chaos of the arena almost frustrating. She wanted to see him, wanted to drink in the pleased expression that he no doubt wore on his face, and it was near impossible for her to get a decent look at him from the way in which the entire audience stood to cheer for him; and after a few seconds of craning her neck, Anna let out a genuine laugh of surprise as Olaf tugged her to her feet.

Elsa – ever so proper - remained seated, of course, but she grinned in encouragement at her sister. Honeymaren laced her fingers through Elsa’s, and Ryder stood beside her, his arms raised above his head as he cheered loudly.

Although the new angle meant that Anna could see Kristoff a little better, she wasn’t exactly tall, so she still didn’t have the best view of him over the rest of the crowd. She frowned as she stood on her tiptoes, and Olaf grasped for her hand.

“Look, Anna – Anna, I swear to god that he’s looking for you-” Olaf told her, and panic began to rise in her chest at the thought of Kristoff not being able to see her in his box.

What if he thought that she had left early, or missed his win for some reason; or what if he thought that she was too much of a princess to stand on her feet and cheer for her man when he had just won the title fight -

_Fuck it._

(There was his voice again).

Anna grasped onto Olaf’s shoulder in order to steady herself – the last thing that she needed to do now was fall over and break a bone – and she clambered to stand onto the seat that she had spent the last hour and twenty minutes sat at. For once, Anna found herself standing tall above the crowd; and she didn’t even spare a second thought to the journalists or the paparazzi or even the general public who were turning to look at her.

Anna grimaced apologetically at the RPO who was sitting directly behind her, but he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, and she returned her attention to the ring once again.

Her light blue eyes locked onto his almost immediately from where he stood in the centre of the ring. A large belt rested in his hands – it was near enough the same size as his head - as evidence of his win, and Anna felt overwhelmed with the rush of emotion that she felt as she blinked down at him. 

Months had passed by since that very first time that she had locked eyes with Kristoff following his sixteenth fight in this very arena, and she heaved in a deep breath as it dawned upon her that everything seemed to have come around, full circle.

 _God_ , she felt so _proud_ of him; and she laughed at herself when tears prickled in her eyes at the thought, although she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him as he grinned up at her with equal enthusiasm.

Despite his confidence in the ring, Kristoff was, overall, a very shy, private man; and she had known that since the very first time that she had met him. Anna recalled how he had stumbled over his words as he spoke to her, and she’d known even then that she absolutely had to have him as her own.

Besides, she didn’t mind the fact that he didn’t seem to be the type to lavish her with compliments, or that he had no social media accounts to like pictures of her on, or that he didn’t play up to the media in the way that she might have wanted, some time ago. Her previous relationship with a man who did all of those things hadn’t ended very well at all, and she found Kristoff’s reluctance to indulge in the press refreshing, to say the least.

And yet.

Anna raised a hand to her chest in genuine surprise as she watched Kristoff raise a hand to his mouth as he looked directly over at her from where she stood above the rest of the crowd. Around her, cameras clicked and the crowd roared - Elsa gasped, too, although Anna didn’t so much as flinch at the sound - but her eyes remained locked onto his as she watched him move.

Anna offered Kristoff a bashful grin as he slowly pressed his lips against three of his thick fingers in a barely-there kiss to the sweaty skin, and then he turned his palm so that those fingers faced out towards the crowd - towards _her_. 

In one long, languid movement, Kristoff stretched his muscular arm above his head and held his palm out towards her.

“Oh my god,” Anna heard Olaf cry out loudly as he placed his half-empty glass of cider down onto the hard floor, but his voice sounded so distant as she lost herself in the soft look of pure joy that Kristoff wore on his features.

Olaf scrambled, too, and then before Anna could so much as wonder what her friend was doing, she noted that he had joined her in standing on his seat so that he had a better view of Kristoff.

She suddenly felt even _more_ guilty for those royal protection officers.

“Anna - Anna, he just blew you a kiss!” Olaf shrieked into her ear, and although Anna laughed happily at her friend's excited words, her eyes remained locked onto her boxer as he continued to smile so softly up at her.

Anna brought both of her hands up to her face in a poor attempt to hide her teary grin from the cameras and the phones that she knew were focused on her reaction, and after a few more seconds, Kristoff eventually dropped his arm so that it hung loosely by his side whilst his other hand remained holding the belt. 

The blonde continued to look up towards her even as his team swarmed the ring and rushed towards him from all four angles, and eventually, he tore his eyes away from her own as Oaken approached him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

Anna’s grin softened a little as she watched the redheaded man clap Kristoff on the back several times – she realised then that she’d never seen Oaken look quite so happy – and she released a contented sigh at the sight.

Olaf offered out his hand in order to help Anna to sit back down in her seat, and the princess busied her hands by brushing at the hem of her dress as she sat up straight in her seat. Had her friends not been around her to witness the show of affection, then Anna would have been convinced that she had dreamt it; and she giggled before she accepted a gulp of Olaf’s cider.

 _To cool you down,_ he had told her.

“He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he?” Elsa commented, and the laughter in her sister’s voice didn’t go amiss. 

In fact, it near enough told Anna all that she needed to know.

The two had met, of course, although only briefly, and it had been more of an official meeting, since Elsa had been presenting him with a medal after his charity-match win. And they had spoken on the phone, too, although Kristoff had told her that that conversation had also been brief; and whilst Anna had been keen to introduce the two of them to one another for a while now, in a more relaxed capacity, a part of her had still been almost reluctant to do so.

Anna had told herself that it was only natural for her to feel that way about it: after all, they were the two most important people in her life, so she desperately wanted them to get along well with each other, and a part of her couldn’t help but worry that it all might not work out as she hoped. Now, though, Anna didn’t think that she needed to worry about that for too much longer.

In fact, if she didn’t know any better, then the redhead would say that Elsa actually liked Kristoff a great deal already.

Anna gave her sister a knowing look before Honeymaren spoke and caught her attention. “Oh, Anna, that was so romantic,” the brunette said with a playful grin, and Anna felt as though she might burst from the love that she felt within her.

From where he sat beside his sister, Ryder spoke up, too. “Yeah, Anna, that was awesome!”

She tucked a piece of her loose, wavy hair behind her ear as she blushed. She hadn’t done an awful lot with her hair tonight – she had just used her curling iron to exaggerate and neaten out her natural curls, since she knew that that was how Kristoff liked it best. 

“Yes, it was, wasn’t it?” she said, and then she giggled again as she remembered the moment. “I can’t believe I just -” her eyes widened as she began to process what had just happened.

For once, Anna felt giddy and elated and excited rather than fearful of what the press might make of it all.

 _To hell with it,_ she thought to herself. She was dating a _boxer_ \- what did they expect?

“Olaf - Olaf, I can’t believe that we just did that!”

Her friend let out a hearty chuckle from beside her. “Well, I couldn’t just let you stand up there by yourself,” he said, and the four of them smiled fondly at his words. Olaf downed the rest of his cider with ease before he spoke again. “Now, are you finally going to introduce us to your mountain man, or what?”

.

.

.

Five minutes, Anna had told them.

 _Alright, but I’m going to count,_ Olaf had responded, and despite the fact that she had laughed at his words, Anna honestly believed him.

She knocked five times on the door to Kristoff’s dressing room before she tentatively pushed the heavy frame open and peeked her head around the side of it. This had been the only place that she could have imagined that he would be following the fight, and since he had been the one to ask her to come and find him once it was all over, she didn’t think it was necessarily intrusive of her to enter before he responded.

And besides, if he was still being checked over by the medical team, then she would just wait for him on the couch.

As it so happened, that wouldn’t be necessary; and a large grin broke out across her face at the mere sight of him. He had been standing with his back towards the door, although he appeared to have turned at the sound of her knocking, and now he was half-facing it. The way in which his damp hair was brushed away from his forehead indicated to her that he had showered, and whilst he had tugged on a pair of faded blue jeans, Anna was delighted to see that he hadn’t had a chance to put his shirt on yet.

Kristoff’s lopsided grin was almost as wide as her own as his eyes wandered over her from where she lingered in the doorway, and the rush of emotion that she had felt earlier on came flooding back to her as she watched him drink her in. 

Anna had known that she was falling hard for this man, but his soft gesture in the ring to her had confirmed her suspicions: she well and truly loved him, and no matter how new the feeling was to her, she knew that it was something she’d never be able to shake.

She let out an excited squeal before she hurried over towards him and practically launched herself into his arms.

The action caught him by surprise, but Kristoff still managed to catch her by the waist with steady hands that spread across the expanse of her back so easily; and Anna let out a genuine laugh as he used the momentum from her running at him to lift her off her feet and spin her around in the air. The mustard dress that she wore twirled from the movement, and Anna wrapped her arms around his neck when he settled her back down onto the ground before she placed a soft kiss to his lips.

It had only been a few days since the two of them had last seen one another, and they had still spoken on the phone each night; but she had still missed him so much, and she moved to chase his lips when he pulled away from her, a whimpered noise escaping her mouth as she did so. 

She just wanted to be close to him, wanted there to be no distance between them at all, and she was more than prepared to shove him down onto the grey couch and mount him there and then -

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused her eyes to shoot open dramatically, and Anna stood up on her tiptoes in order to glance around Kristoff’s shoulder to see where the noise had come from. She hadn’t expected him to have had company, and she’d been so desperate for him to kiss her that she hadn’t bothered to even glance around to check if anyone else was here, and so her cheeks burned a deep crimson as a result of her impulsivity.

Kristoff tightened his hold of her waist for a moment – as if he was giving her a squeeze of reassurance – before he pulled his chest away from her own. The action meant that there was a little more distance between them, and Anna’s hands slid down from where they had been around his neck so that they now rested loosely on his shoulders.

She knew that it wasn’t necessarily _proper_ , to hold him like this; but the more time that she spent around Kristoff, the less she felt like a princess, and the more she felt like – well, like _Anna_. There were no rules of propriety here, between the two of them; and at this rate, Anna didn’t even care who knew it.

Not when she loved him the way that she did.

Kristoff cleared his throat before she spoke, and Anna was still close enough to him that she felt it vibrate through his defined chest.

“Anna, this is my mother,” he said, and then he turned his head slightly over his shoulder slightly so that he could look directly at the woman who was standing in the doorway to the restroom. “Ma, this is Anna. My – um – my girlfriend.”

Now that she was looking directly at her, Anna realised that she recognised this woman – no doubt from the pictures that littered the various photo frames within Kristoff’s cabin. She was shorter than Anna, and rounder, too; with dark skin and huge, warm eyes that weren’t all that dissimilar from Kristoff’s, despite the fact that they weren’t related by blood.

His mother’s eyes wandered up and down the length of Anna several times, although the expression on her face was akin to awe and sheer disbelief. Anna felt as though she was frozen to the spot, and she blushed a little more when she noticed that the woman’s eyes lingered on the way that Kristoff’s hands covered the expanse of Anna’s back, and how her own were still loosely placed on his broad, bare shoulders.

Silence passed over the three of them for a few beats, and Anna offered Kristoff’s mother her most charming smile.

“Hello,” she said, and the older woman shook her head once before her expression turned into one of pure delight as she looked over at Anna. 

The redhead let out a breath that she didn’t even realise she had been holding as the older woman moved towards her, the grin on her face widening with each step that she took.

“Of course! _Anna_!” she exclaimed, all loud and pleased, and Kristoff’s hands fell from the back of Anna’s dress as his mother stepped before the two of them. 

Anna instantly dropped her hands from Kristoff’s shoulders, subconsciously following his cues, and she turned her body towards the older woman as she reached out towards her.

Anna had bent a little at the knee and had assumed that his mother was reaching out to hug her, but instead, two warm hands cupped her jaw in a gentle yet equally firm hold.

The movement surprised her, and so her blue eyes widened just a little; but then Anna smiled into the touch. 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said, and the princess softened even more at his mother’s words.

Anna had always been good with people – it was one of the few things that she actually needed to be, as a princess, and it was something that she prided herself on. However, the idea of meeting Kristoff’s parents had still been daunting, because -

Well, what if they didn’t like her, or what if they thought that she spoke funny, or what if they thought that she wasn’t good enough for their son?

Now, though, she felt a little better. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you too, Mrs Bjorgman,” Anna responded.

His mother let out a loud, booming laugh, and she gently drummed her fingers against Anna’s cheeks. 

“Oh, honey, listen to you – it's just Bulda,” she commented, and Anna’s smile met her eyes as she recalled the way in which Kristoff had insisted that the palace staff call him by his first name, too - _really, it’s just Kristoff,_ he had huffed in annoyance.

The redhead giggled at the memory. “Alright then, Bulda – it's a pleasure to finally meet you,” Anna corrected, and the shorter woman grinned as she dropped her hands and released Anna’s face.

Those warm eyes continued to dance over her as Anna stood back up to her full height, and she almost sighed in content at the feel of Kristoff brushing one of his large hands against her lower back. 

“You’ll do nicely for my Kristoff,” Bulda said, and although she didn’t miss the way in which Kristoff rolled his eyes dramatically at the comment, Anna smiled warmly at his mother before she looked up at him.

A knock on the door stopped Anna from opening her mouth to congratulate him, and her eyes widened as she knew immediately who it would be. The sound of Olaf’s muffled voice filled the room as he pushed the door open slightly, although he didn’t poke his head around it.

“Anna,” he called, and she fought a smile at the sound of Ryder snickering. “Are you decent? I absolutely meant it when I told you that I was going to count, and I can confirm that it has now been exactly – hang on – five minutes and twenty-two seconds.”

Anna giggled softly as Kristoff looked down at her, a confused look on his face that made him look absolutely adorable. She grasped the hand that wasn’t resting on her lower back in her own and gave it a squeeze as she looked into his eyes. 

“I have some friends who are kind of desperate to meet you,” she told him, her eyes dancing over his face as she spoke. “Is that okay? Because if you’re too tired, I can tell them -”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, no, it’s fine – I, really, Anna; it’s fine,” and Anna had just enough time to push herself up so that she could place a chaste kiss to his cheek before the door swung open and the four of them stepped into the dressing room, Olaf leading the way.

“Kristoff, Bulda – this is Olaf, Ryder, Honeymaren, and... my sister, Elsa.”

.

.

.

It was a good ninety minutes or so before Elsa seemed to get the hint from Anna’s impatient glances, and she managed to round up Honeymaren, Ryder and Olaf and get them all to leave with her.

Bulda had left not long after the four of them had arrived - _you kids have fun_ , she had told them before she hugged Kristoff goodbye and gave Anna a squeeze for good measure – and although Anna was pleased that her friends seemed to have taken a real shine to her boyfriend - especially Olaf and Ryder - Anna was still desperate for some time alone with him.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to come to the after party with us?” Olaf said, although he had begun to slur his words around ten minutes ago now, and he hiccupped for good measure. “You... you always loved them so much,” he mumbled.

Anna rolled her eyes as she nudged him out of the doorway so that she could lean against it. “Nope, we’re good, thanks Olaf,” she said.

Honeymaren and Ryder had already begun to make their way down the long corridor, and Elsa smiled slyly at her sister as she linked her arm in one of Olaf’s. 

“Will I see you at home?” the blonde asked as she quirked a brow.

“Um,” Anna faltered, and she bit down on her lip for a second as she thought of how to answer that question. “I’ll text you,” she said with a grin, and Elsa laughed softly.

“Alright,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders as she started to walk with Olaf. “Have fun. And Kristoff - it was nice to see you again.”

With that, the blonde closed the door.

The redhead let out a short, shaky breath as she turned around; but no sooner had she done so, she found that a large, solid body pushed against her own in order to press her against the wooden door. Anna managed to squeak out Kristoff’s name before his lips met with her own in an eager kiss, and Anna’s arms instantly wrapped around his thick neck to pull him impossibly closer.

Kristoff’s enthusiasm caught Anna by surprise. It was late, and he had been training so hard for this fight that she could only imagine how worn-down he felt; and so she had expected him to be absolutely _exhausted_ by now. Part of her had thought that he would likely suggest that the pair of them retreat to either his apartment or his cabin – purely so that he could get some sleep and some much-needed rest – and she would have happily obliged despite the fact that she hadn’t thought of bringing a change of clothing with her.

Anna had come to accept the fact that she would more than likely have to wait until the morning to finally seize the opportunity to well and truly claim Kristoff as her own; but clearly, she hadn’t given his fitness, stamina or energy enough credit in the first place, because by the way in which he near enough pinned her against the door, she figured that he had absolutely no intention of waiting until morning to bury himself inside of her.

A breathless laugh escaped her lips as he hooked his large hands around her and pulled her up the surface of the door as if she weighed nothing at all. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position, being pressed so firmly against the solid wood, but it was more than bearable with his lips pressed against hers.

Once she had wrapped her legs around Kristoff’s waist – essentially lining him up with her core so that she could grind herself down against him – Anna wasted no time at all in deepening their kiss, and they both moaned when she licked into his mouth and flicked her tongue against his.

From this angle, Anna was able to feel each and every hard inch of him through the denim of his jeans; and she thanked herself for opting to wear such a floaty dress that allowed her to spread her legs open so wide around him. The seam of his jeans combined with the hard cock that it covered provided a glorious amount of friction to her pulsing clit, and Anna gasped when he ground down against her.

The princess quickly decided that she did not have the patience for this. Anna had spent months waiting, and she was well and truly done with it.

She wanted him inside of her. 

_Now_.

She panted something along those lines against his lips, and Kristoff chuckled softly as he moved to place soft, wet kisses down the length of her jaw and earlobe. Anna squirmed as one of his hands crept underneath her dress, and then she sighed in relief when his thick fingers traced over her panties. The lacey material was damp with evidence of her arousal, and Kristoff cursed under his breath at the feel of it.

This time, it was her turn to giggle.

“Fuck, Anna – you’re so wet,” Kristoff murmured against her temple, and the blonde made quick work of sliding her panties towards one side. 

The sensation of the cool air greeting her wet centre caused Anna to jerk wildly, and she nipped at his bottom lip in an attempt to hold back the cry that lingered in her throat.

They may have been alone in his dressing room, but the recording released just days before had been evidence enough that the door they were currently braced against wasn’t exactly soundproof, and Anna at least had the mind to try to keep quiet, although it wasn’t easy – particularly when Kristoff’s thick fingers traced over the length of her slit before he pushed two of them inside of her.

Anna was way too far gone to find it within her to encourage the boxer to move them elsewhere – though she had no doubt that he would be able to carry her over to the couch with ease, and would probably be able to keep moving his fingers in and out of her whilst he did it, too. If this was where he wanted to take her, then she would happily allow it – she would just have to keep her mouth occupied with his so that the staff who worked away outside of the room didn’t find out exactly how the Princess of Norway congratulated her boxer on his win.

“Kristoff,” she half-whispered against his mouth, and although she couldn’t help but buck her hips when his thumb stroked her clit, Anna’s patience was slowly wearing thin. “Kris, please, I need you inside of me _now_ ,” she whined.

Although Anna had squeezed her eyes shut tightly at the glorious sensation of his thumb lazily circling her clit, she could feel the way in which he frowned from where his forehead rested against her own. 

“Now?” he repeated, and she knew what he was about to say. “But you -”

Anna shook her head from side to side against the door before she placed a wet kiss to his mouth, and she bit down lightly upon his bottom lip in order to show him just how urgently she needed this – needed _him_.

Anna didn’t want a slow build up – not tonight, at least. It may not have been how she had pictured that their first time together would be, but she was already so wet and ready for him, and she had waited so long to have him inside of her that the thought of waiting any longer seemed almost cruel.

“Please, Kris,” she begged against his lips, and her hips faltered once again when he removed his fingers from inside of her and used them to trace the length of her slit.

They met at her engorged clit, and he pinched the bundle of nerves between his fingertips lightly, and the action caused Anna to gasp and jerk. 

“Oh my god,” she whined, and she felt almost close to tears. “ _Now_ , Kris, I need you to -”

His large hand moved away from her centre so that he could pull down the zip of his jeans and release his cock, and Anna didn’t have the chance to so much as look at him before he rushed to press himself against the outline of her. Still, it was a relief to finally have him so close to where she needed him, and she moaned when Kristoff bucked his hips against her, causing the head of his cock to brush against her pulsating clit.

“Do you -” he started, and she quickly interrupted, sensing what he was about to ask.

“Pill,” she murmured, and he nodded quickly at that.

She placed an eager kiss against his mouth in an attempt to spur him on, but Kristoff pulled back seconds later, his eyes boring into her own as he spoke. 

“Now?” he asked, and she could have sworn that he was searching her eyes for any trace of doubt or uncertainty. “You’re sure that you want to do this right now?”

She supposed that she wasn’t best pleased about the fact that he was wearing a shirt – he had quickly thrown on a plain white tee when her friends had entered the room to meet him – but Anna grinned at him all the same.

“Trust me, Bjorgman,” she panted, her chest heaving and her toes curling in anticipation. “I’m sure.”

Anna had half expected Kristoff to kiss her again as he entered her, but he didn’t. Instead, his lips rested so, so close to her own – so close that she could still feel the faint tickle of the stubble on his upper lip against her own – but he didn’t join them there. He let out a long, deep groan as he entered her, and Anna squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she reveled in the way that he stretched her.

It wasn’t as though the princess would ever class herself as being experienced, since she had only ever been with one other man apart from Kristoff; but she had certainly never felt so full in all of her life, and Anna almost sobbed in sheer and utter relief from the overwhelming sense of satisfaction that she felt to finally have him buried to the hilt inside of her.

Once Kristoff had inserted every last inch of his cock into her, he pressed a passionate kiss to her mouth, but he breathed heavily and waited for what seemed like an impossibly long amount of time. Anna quickly grew impatient, and she tried to maneuver herself so that she could at least bounce against him; but the fact that Kristoff had her pressed firmly against the door didn’t help her cause, and she found that she wasn’t able to move much at all.

He seemed to realise what she was attempting to do, at least, and he cracked one eye open as he shook his head. 

“Anna, wait,” he said through gritted teeth. “I - fuck - Anna, it’s been _way_ too long, I - if you don’t keep still, this is going to be over way too soon,” he warned, and she knew from his tone that he was deadly serious.

Kristoff’s gruff explanation surprised her, though, and Anna couldn’t help herself but to giggle impishly. His frown deepened, and he practically growled before he kissed her again. One of his large hands had wandered underneath her dress, and his thick fingers traced over the flesh of her ass before his fingernails gripped and squeezed at one of her cheeks.

The action caused Anna to moan into his mouth, and after a few more seconds, Kristoff finally moved his hips against hers. He slowly withdrew himself so that only the head of his cock remained inside of her before he pushed into her again – a little harder this time – and Anna’s eyes fluttered to a delighted close at the sensation of him filling her once more.

Kristoff repeated the action again and again and again, and Anna’s grin widened with each wild thrust of his hips. She lost herself as he pounded into her, and she didn’t care for anything at all – not the way in which the door rattled each time he buried himself inside of her, not the way in which she gasped each time he filled her again, not even the way in which his hips began to stutter after a few minutes of those repeated actions.

The boxer had barely touched her at all – although in all fairness, that was because Anna hadn’t felt able to wait long enough for him to do so – but she had been so wet and ready for him, and although this was all so new, she could tell from the way in which his rhythm faltered that Kristoff was close to reaching his own release. So Anna pulled the skirt of her dress back enough so that she could slide her hand down to her cunt, and she sighed happily when her fingers found her bundle of nerves.

Her own fingers were so much thinner and smaller than his, and since the night at his cabin – when Kristoff had used his thick fingers and his wet tongue to bring her pleasure – Anna had known that her own hands didn’t feel quite as satisfying as his. Still, they got the job done; and she thought that they felt much better now, since she had Kristoff’s cock plunging deep inside of her, and she hummed happily against his lips as she quickly worked herself to her own release.

Kristoff released her lips, and Anna quickly got the impression that he was unable to focus on kissing her. Instead, he thrusted into her with more and more force, each movement harsh and fast and almost desperate.

If Anna had been able to form any coherent thought in that moment, then she may have worried about the fact that the door was probably about to collapse on itself from the way in which Kristoff fucked her relentlessly against it; but the princess hardly even recognised her own name as it fell from his tongue like a prayer, and so she certainly couldn’t think about that. Instead, Anna let out a whine of her own as her thighs trembled violently, and she used her free hand to claw hopelessly at the collar of his tee whilst her orgasm began to build within her.

Despite the way her abdomen burned as her whole body clenched and unclenched with the feel of her impending release, Anna continued to circle furiously at her clit, and she almost cried as Kristoff seemed to impossibly increase the speed at which he pounded into her. His lips tickled hers once again, although he didn’t kiss her; instead, he egged her on with whispered words of encouragement; _come on, Anna, that’s it, sweetheart, come for me, that’s my girl -_

Anna practically shrieked as her walls clenched tightly around his cock, and she dropped her hand away from her clit as she lost herself in the blissful sensation of her orgasm. Anna was only vaguely aware of the fact that Kristoff had peaked, too, and although the sensation of him emptying himself inside of her caused her to smile dreamily, she was still unable to focus on anything but her own release as her clit continued to throb.

Anna couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t think, and she enjoyed the feeling whilst it lasted before she eventually came back down from her high. 

The redhead whined at the loss of him as Kristoff removed his cock from inside of her, and she moved her head forward so that it lolled somewhere between his shoulder and the crook of his neck as he removed his hand from her ass and used it in order to tuck himself back into his boxers and zip up his jeans.

The boxer continued to hold up her body weight against the doorframe with effortless strength, and Anna moved her own hand up to cup his jaw. Her fingers were still reasonably damp from her release, and she couldn’t help but to gasp in surprise and arousal when she felt Kristoff nudge his lips against them so that he could press a soft kiss there.

Anna’s eyes fluttered open, and although she still felt half-asleep as she teetered on the precipice of consciousness and orgasmic bliss, a breathless giggle escaped her lips at the sight of those honey-brown eyes. 

“Oh my god, Kris,” she whispered as she nuzzled her nose against his. “I can’t believe that we just did that.”

Kristoff let out a chuckle of his own. “I know,” he agreed, and as she relaxed the palm that had been bunched in a tight fist at the collar of his tee so that it rested flat against him, Anna felt the way in which Kristoff’s heart pounded in his chest. “Fuck, Anna, I know,” he repeated, and this time, they laughed together.

A few seconds later, he carefully moved so that he could set her down gently on the floor; and although she stood tall and steady, Anna still kept her hands on him, eager to stay close. 

“Are you tired?” she asked as she searched his face, and Kristoff nodded his head once in confirmation.

“A little,” he admitted with a half-shrug of his shoulders, although he gave her a knowing smile when Anna narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. “Okay, a lot,” he corrected, and she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips at the confession.

It was so easy to be with him now, so simple and effortless and natural when it was just the two of them, and Anna had longed for this sense of comfort and security all of her life. Now that it was hers, she couldn’t quite believe it – she just wished that she had the ability to express that to him.

Right now, though, they were both tired, and she knew that it wasn’t the time or place to delve into her psyche with him; so she whispered a playful _your place or mine_ in his ear, and she grinned as he swept her up in his arms and kissed her once more.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, so for the purpose of this chapter can we please pretend that there's a Tiffany's store on a high street in Norway? thanks x

Kristoff had to be dreaming.

There was absolutely no way in hell that he now lived a life where he woke up to the feel of Anna - his Anna – wrapping her lips around his semi-hard cock. This was just another dream, he was sure: not particularly different than all of the other dreams that he had had about her over the last couple of months, and he had this frustrating habit of waking up at the very last second, because even his own imagination loved to torture him -

But then his hips faltered as Anna ran her flat, wet tongue up the entire length of him; and in his half-awake state, Kristoff’s hands reached blindly until they found purchase in her thick mane of hair. 

He was getting used to the way that it was always a little messy in the mornings – knotted and tangled, no doubt as a result of the way in which she tossed and turned wildly in her sleep – and it made it easier for him to grasp onto. The feel of her auburn strands laced between his knuckles grounded him, and he almost let out a laugh at the realisation that he was _very_ much awake, and this was not a dream.

Then Anna’s mouth wrapped tightly around the head of his cock and she sucked on it, and the start of a huffed laugh was replaced by a long, low whine; and he would have probably been a little embarrassed at the sound had it not been for the fact that Anna did it again, and again, and again, until -

 _Fuck_.

.

.

.

There were still times when Kristoff found it difficult to believe that any of this was real.

He didn’t enjoy life in the public eye. He couldn’t stand the word _famous_ – it made him cringe to no end to think of himself as being so – and he had never considered that he would receive much attention as a boxer. Even when he had signed his record-breaking contract, it wasn’t as if it meant that he was suddenly a household name - on the most part, he could get on with his day to day life without incident; and maybe the odd person recognised him in the store or on the street, but it was never enough for him to feel suffocated, and he still felt very much free.

Things changed when you became the Princess of Norway’s boyfriend. Obviously.

It became more difficult for him to go out and about and partake in typical, mundane jobs – like grocery shopping and picking up orders in town for his ma – because people recognised him now. And it wasn’t so much just the fact that they recognised him as it was the fact that they _approached_ him; and if you would have asked him a few months ago how he would deal with being hounded, or pressed, or near enough _interrogated_ by members of the public - and the paparazzi, because they were a thing that happened to him now, too - then Kristoff would have confidently said he would have told them to straight-up fuck off.

Apparently, he couldn’t do that now, either; because – well, because _Anna_.

In his defense, nobody had needed to tell him that he couldn’t swear at members of the public, or even be grouchy and defensive towards them – he wasn’t an _idiot_. These were Anna’s people, and she was their princess -

And an awful lot of them really did seem to genuinely believe that she belonged to them, even though Kristoff thought that it was perfectly clear that she was _his_ more than theirs, but more than anything, she was her own person.

His girlfriend wasn’t fucking public property.

As a general rule of thumb, the public _adored_ her, and as such they seemed to have taken quite a liking to him, too – although he knew that had more to do with the fact that he was Anna’s boyfriend as opposed to the fact that he was, well, _him_.

Kristoff always tried his best to avoid being noticed, although it was a little difficult to be discreet when you stood at way over six feet tall and were broader and generally bigger than most, and the group of people who near enough stalked him through the city with flashing cameras didn’t do much to keep him hidden from view. Nowadays, Kristoff was careful, for Anna.

Before, he would shrug his shoulders and answer questions in a gruff voice; but now, he tried his best to smile and nod and speak politely as he answered questions through gritted teeth and shook his hands with strangers.

He always stuttered a little when people asked over her casually - speaking about her as though they knew her personally . Things like _how’s our princess_ and _take good care of her_ and _she seems so happy now_ fell from stranger's mouths with ease.

 _Weird_.

The more modern media outlets lapped it up; and Anna had laughed lightly as she told him about the fact that they had fans now who referred to them as one joint name rather than just ‘Kristoff’ and ‘Anna’. But Kristoff knew that his relationship with the princess still didn’t make sense to an awful lot of people, too, and that was fine - really, because it didn’t make an awful lot of sense to him sometimes, either.

Even after almost six months of her being in his life, Kristoff still found himself wondering how on earth it was possible that he was the lucky bastard who had the honour of holding hands with the Princess of Norway; how some rookie boxer had managed to worm his way into her life in such a way that he was now a constant presence.

It was funny thing to feel, though; because it all seemed to be so very real when she was here. When Kristoff could hold her tiny frame in his arms and pull her so tightly against him that there was no space left between them, it seemed to make sense. When he had the freedom to run his fingers through her hair and use the sensation to ground him, when he could hear her laugh and giggle at his stupid jokes, when he could feel her place wet kisses to his jawline...

It sure as hell felt real when she straddled him on the yoga mat in the home-made gym at his cabin; when she bounced herself up and down the length of his cock, at the perfect angle so that he could watch himself sink inside of her. And it felt real when he bent her over the sink in his bathroom and fucked into her hard and fast and deep from behind, a smirk on his face as she watched him through the steamed-up mirror with a half-open mouth.

It all made sense when Anna creeped into the shower with him and wrapped her hands around his thick shaft, when she pumped away at him until he spilled his seed all over her hands and let the lukewarm water wash it all away. It didn’t seem unfathomable when he kissed down the expanse of her flat stomach so that he could use his mouth and his fingers to bring her to a languid release right in the middle of his living room couch.

There were so many burning hot moments of passion, where it felt particularly real – like the first night he had ever entered her, hard and fast against the doorway of his dressing room; or when they didn’t even make it to the top of the stairs before she was on top of him. But there were slow and lazy and explorative moments, too; like when he kissed her softly as he towered over her and made love to her in his bed, the sheets wrapped around them to keep her warm.

Those tender moments were typically the ones where Kristoff wondered how he had ever known a time without her, how it could have ever been so that she wasn’t there.

It was harder to remember that the last few months hadn’t been some crazy dream on the nights when Anna couldn’t stay with him. When his bed felt decidedly empty without the small yet significant weight of her in it, when his arms felt lost without being wrapped up around the warmth of her body; and Kristoff knew without a doubt that he was in deep trouble when it came to this one.

He hadn’t told her yet, that he loved her.

He had been saving it – kept it tucked up close to his chest – because he knew how much it would mean to her. She hadn’t told him yet, either; but there were times when he swore that he could see it in her eyes, and those were usually the moments where he had almost stuttered out the words. Moments that were quiet and gentle and soft but that never seemed right, not intimate or grand or perfect enough.

Those three words were all that he had to offer to her. Anna was a princess, for fucks sake; so she could have near enough anything that she wished for – just a quick _I want that one_ and it was done without question – and no matter how much money he made in his career, Kristoff would never be able to trump that. She had a title and servants - alright, so they weren’t servants, but he still felt that they acted like it sometimes, the way in which they kissed up to all the family - and he was just plain old Kristoff.

So, this was all that he could give her - _himself_ \- and he _wanted_ to give it to her, too, but he wanted to make sure that he did it in the way that she deserved.

The feel of his phone vibrating next to him stirred him from his thoughts, and Kristoff knew who it would be without even having to look. This was their routine, now, on nights that they couldn’t be together, and he grinned despite himself as he answered.

“Hey, baby,” he said, feeling better almost immediately for hearing her voice. _Fuck_ , when did he turn into such a sap?

He rolled his eyes at himself – that was a new one – but he softened and relaxed as he listened to Anna chatter on about her day, and he smiled and laughed as she told him about the engagement that she’d had. She had been visiting a children’s charity - an awful lot of her charity work seemed to focus on children and the early years - and despite the underlying sadness that was always there for her when it came to this sort of thing, it sounded like the kids she had seen today had near enough run wild and had a blast of a time.

He tried his best not to think about how good Anna seemed around children, how natural it came to her to talk and to play with them. They were yet to meet each other’s families in any kind of official capacity, and he could only imagine how much his cousins and nieces and nephews would adore her, and Kristoff didn’t want to think about what his ma would have to say about that.

“Can I come over tomorrow?” she asked him as she yawned. “I miss you.”

It had only been two days, but he felt much the same.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. As far as he was concerned, she could have a key to his cabin, if she wanted – she could move all of her things in tomorrow and that would suit him just fine. “You don’t even need to ask,” he told her, and _shit_ , he really did mean it.

Anna giggled. “You’re so sweet,” she told him, and the breathy tone to her voice made him blush and frown at once. “How did I ever get so lucky?”

“Lucky?” he repeated, his lips pulled into a grin. “If you think that, then you’re crazy,” he told her.

“Oh yeah?”

He laughed. “Yeah.”

.

.

.

“When are you going to hurry up and ask that girl to marry you?”

Kristoff sighed dramatically down the phone. ”Ma.”

“It’s a valid question!”

“We’ve been dating for three months, ma. _Three_.”

Almost four, now, and he’d known her for six, but he obviously was not going to share those details with his mother. It would just add to her dramatic pestering.

“So?” she asked. “She’s a royal, isn’t she? They’re a little backwards, Kristoff - you know, they don’t like to wait around.”

She was teasing him, he knew, and Kristoff shook his head and he exited the store. He had only called her to let her know that he had picked up one of her orders – the houses that he had been building for his family were almost ready, and he had left the job of furnishing the development up to her, since he knew that she loved that kind of thing.

“You’re one to talk,” he told her with a roll of his eyes.

The thing was, his mother was playfully nagging at him, she didn’t really mean what she said - or she did mean it really, but she knew that it wasn’t going to happen, knew that he wasn’t going to ask this girl to marry him anytime soon - but her words did stop and make him think for a second. He hesitated as he began to walk over the parking lot towards his truck, but he stopped in his tracks and turned his head back towards the high street.

There was this Taylor Swift song -

_jesus, since when did he think like this_

\- that Anna listened to a lot, and she would sing it to him sometimes and tell him that it reminded her of him.

Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of songs that she did that with – not just Taylor Swift ones, either, although she did seem to favour them. But there was this one song in particular that said something about an initial and a necklace, and he knew even as he stood there and stared back at the many different stores that lined the high street that his mind had already been made up.

Would it be weird? Or creepy?

Oh, _god_ , what if she hated it, refused to wear it, thought it was strange and possessive and -

What if she loved it?

Kristoff cleared his throat and interrupted his mother. “Ma - ma, listen, I’ll call you back in five minutes. I forgot I had something to pick up myself.”

He hung up the call and narrowed his eyes. From where he stood, he could just about make out the mint green sign; and he looked down at his feet - did they even let people who wore tracksuits in Tiffany’s? - before he huffed at himself and started back towards the store.

.

.

.

The box was small and light in the centre of his palm, and he swallowed thickly as he opened it and looked at the necklace for what had to be the tenth time that hour.

It was just gone seven o’clock, and the chicken was almost roasted and the veg had finished boiling, too, so all that was left for him to do was to prepare the potatoes and then the meal would be ready for when she arrived in around half an hour. Anna always told him that she didn’t expect him to cook for her, but he enjoyed doing it – he'd been cooking for himself most of his adult life, and it was something besides boxing that he thought he was pretty good at – and the look on her face whenever she ate the food he had prepared made him fall a little harder for her.

Still. Kristoff felt frozen to the spot from where he sat upon the couch in the living room of his cabin, and he just stared down at the delicate piece of jewelry.

He knew that the price of it didn’t compare to some of the luxurious jewels that she wore from her family’s ridiculously expensive collection, but it had still been more than he had ever imagined he would spend on something so small.

It was a simple pendant - 18 karat rose gold, the store assistant had told him, although that really didn’t mean much to Kristoff - with a swirled letter K, and if he closed his eyes then he could picture how it would hang on her pretty neck; and he wasn’t ready to think about how it would make him feel to see her wearing something that almost marked her as his, but he hoped that soon enough, he’d know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly Taylor's songs just give me so many Kristanna feels - the song that Kristoff is thinking of is 'Call it What You Want' by Taylor Swift.


	22. Chapter 22

It isn’t until much, much later in the evening – once their bellies have been filled with food and wine (for Anna) and beer (for him) - that Kristoff finally managed to find a way to present her with the tiny box.

They were halfway through watching some romantic comedy that had just been released on Netflix, although Kristoff had admittedly struggled to focus his attention on the characters and the overall plot. His mind had been far away as he wondered over how he was ever going to pull this off smoothly.

This wasn’t something that Kristoff wanted to rush and ruin; but the weight of the little mint box in the back pocket of his faded blue jeans was something that the boxer was finding incredibly difficult to ignore.

 _God_ , he just really didn’t want to mess it all up. 

Not for her.

His attempts to rationalise with himself were, overall, poor. But whilst it may only be a necklace and three small words to anyone else – it’s not like he’s asking her to marry him, for fucks sake – it still felt like a pretty fucking big deal to him.

As Kristoff swallowed thickly, he suppressed the acknowledgement that he hoped that this felt like a big deal to her, too; because he isn’t sure how he would feel if she found this something blasé and non-committal, if she didn’t see the deeper meaning behind the gesture and the words he wanted to say to her.

He wanted the moment that he presented her with this little gift to be perfect; a moment in time that she could look back on and recall with a fond smile, a gesture that she might even consider to be romantic or -

The sound of Anna letting out a yawn stirred him from his thoughts, and Kristoff offered her a small smile before he went back to at least trying to pay attention to the movie.

His couch is a reasonable size. He isn’t a small person, by any means, and until he started boxing professionally, Kristoff had never been able to afford furniture that he could actually fit on quite comfortably. So, when he first put down the deposit on his cabin – only a few weeks before he met Anna – the couch was one of the first things that he had treated himself to.

He knows that Anna likes it, too – she has a habit of sprawling herself out on it, and they’ve been spending enough time together now that it doesn’t feel so awkward when she plops herself down away from him so that there’s a reasonable amount of space left between them. Tonight, though, she’s not far away at all; she had sought him out as soon as he had sat himself down, and she was currently curled up close with her head resting in his lap. Sven, meanwhile, is curled up by Kristoff’s feet – snoring lightly – and the fire that he had lit earlier may have started to dwindle, but it still adds to the overall cozy atmosphere.

As he ran his large fingers absent-mindedly through the soft auburn strands of Anna’s hair, Kristoff wondered what the hell he did that was so good in life that meant that he could have this.

Kristoff was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the way in which Anna had tilted the angle of her chin so that she could look up at his face rather than pay attention to the movie she had chosen for them to watch. It isn’t the most flattering angle of his features, but the expression on her face was appreciative, anyway; and when she finally spoke – her voice sweet and gentle, as always – he jerked a little in surprise.

“Hey, are you okay?” she had asked him, and the soft giggle that escaped her throat when his eyes widened at her voice caused Kristoff to smirk a little despite himself. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, voice breathy and light as her laughter continued to linger.

 _Fuck_ – was he really that obvious?

Or did Anna just know him that well, now?

“Yeah,” he responded immediately, the word falling from his mouth before he could fully process the question. 

His voice faltered a little, though, and Kristoff wonders if he spoke too quickly or something because Anna certainly didn’t look overly convinced by his response as she eyed him suspiciously from where she was lying in his lap.

_Let’s try that again._

Kristoff cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders before he spoke again. “Yeah. I’m okay,” he said, and he meant it.

Of course he was okay. He was _more_ than okay – he has her, doesn’t he?

It’s a funny position to be in, with her staring up at him like that; and Kristoff’s free hand itched to do _something_. He brushed it through his hair twice, pushed the fair strands away from his forehead as he did so; and he briefly wondered about timing and moments and things being perfect and what do those things even consist of, anyway?

Kristoff is no smooth talker. He’s never been a natural, hopeless romantic, or any kind of love-expert; he’s not proper or practiced, and he isn’t that embarrassed to admit that he isn’t overly experienced when it comes to relationships, either. So, he reasoned with himself that there was always a good chance that he was going get this a little wrong – so a small voice in the back of his mind murmured _why not now?_

“I just – the thing is, Anna, I – well – I've - _ugh,_ ” he groaned, all flustered and frustrated as he stuttered over the words, and he mentally cursed his clumsy tongue. 

Kristoff’s hand dropped from his own hair so that he could pinch lightly at the bridge of his nose whilst he attempted to steady his thoughts, but he could sense that Anna was a little more confused – maybe even worried – now, could feel it in the way in which she tensed as she moved in his lap.

The redhead placed both of her small hands on his mid-thigh and she pushed against the solidity of him so that she was now sat upright, her face much closer than it was moments ago; and her hands lingered on the denim of his jeans, a reminder that she was right there.

He could kiss her from this angle, if he wanted to.

And she’d let him. She’d probably want him to, too.

 _Fuck_.

Kristoff eyed her carefully, noting the confusion that was etched upon her dainty features. Anna’s brows were furrowed ever so slightly – not enough to leave wrinkles, but he still noticed – and her lips were pursed, too. The last thing that he wanted was for her to get the wrong idea about where he was going with – well, with _this_ \- and Kristoff searched desperately for the right words, wanted to get them out before Anna jumped to any of her own conclusions and this whole conversation takes an entirely different route.

“I want to give you something,” he told her, his voice soft, and he wondered whether she was able to sense how nervous he was.

 _This isn’t how this was supposed to go,_ he mentally scolded himself. _You’re fucking it all up._

But Anna’s eyes widened a little in what he thought could possibly be eager excitement, and the confusion on her face was at least replaced by curiosity. The redhead blinked up at him expectantly, always so patient even though he knew that it must be infuriating for her to watch him open and close his mouth repeatedly like some kind of gormless fish.

He could tell that she was fighting back a smile, and the way that the corners of her lips repeatedly quirked upwards caused his own to do the same.

He’s so far gone on this girl, it’s unreal.

From the new angle, it was much more of a struggle for him to continue to play with the ends of her hair; and so Kristoff dropped the hand that had been doing so down onto his thigh and covered both of hers with it.

He tried to push away the thought of how huge his one hand feels compared to both of hers.

Not. The. Time.

“What is it?” she asked him, and _god_ , she looked so happy with those wide eyes and that soft smile and there is just no way in hell that he can avoid giving this to her now, even if this hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

“I - I wasn’t going to do it like this,” he told her as he moved one hand round into the back pocket of his jeans, and he blushed immediately.

Why was he like this?

He had only had one beer, so it wasn’t as though he could even blame the fact that he was an absolute disaster on the alcohol. His choice of words weren’t the best, but she giggled anyway.

“Kristoff,” she said, her voice a little breathy and tone a little sing-songy, and why does he feel so nervous?

Alright. He can do this.

If he can knock a six-foot-three, two-hundred-odd pound man out cold with one punch, then he could give Anna this.

His calloused palm was a little sweaty from his nerves, and he had to lift his hips a little awkwardly into mid-air so that he could put it into the back pocket of his jeans in order to fish the jewelry box out. It was difficult to ignore the way in which Anna tensed a little at the sight of it in his hand, and he realised how it might look, so he hurried to open it to reveal the pendant as he eyed her nervously.

He just wanted her to see it: to see it and understand the things that he so desperately wants to say to her but so far has struggled to verbalise. He wanted her to see it and like the idea of what this could mean for them, what it can symbolise; wanted her to know how much it would mean to him if she was to wear it.

He doesn’t care if the whole world can’t see it – she is a princess, after all – he just wanted to see it hanging from her neck, even if it's only in the privacy of his cabin.

Despite his mother’s teasing, Kristoff can’t offer Anna a ring. It’s too soon, not just for her, but for him, too. They’re still learning – about relationships and about each other.

This necklace feels like a promise, though; and he hopes it feels that way for her, too.

“I - here,” he said, exasperated with himself and his bumbling mouth, and he used his thumb and forefinger to squeeze either side of the box and push it open, revealing the simple _k_ pendant to her.

Kristoff didn’t want to look at her, suddenly a little worried of what he might see in her face – confusion, rejection, hesitance. He was well aware that he may have read this all wrong, that he might have jumped the gun a little too soon; and it’s only a necklace, but it means so much more to him that it’s hard to look her in the eyes.

He’s relieved as soon as he does, though. 

The look on her face is soft, full of emotion that he finally thinks he understands, now.

Anna’s light blue eyes watered a little as she blinked down at the tiny box, and she removed her hand from where they had still been positioned on his thigh, tucked under his, and raised them. One shakily came to her face so that she could cover her mouth with three fingers, and the other fell to her chest as she glanced from the box in his hands and then back to his again.

She was probably waiting for him to say something, but Kristoff had no idea where to even begin. He thought that it would be easier, after he presented it to her, but he felt more flustered than he had done before.

“Kris,” she murmured, finally breaking the silence that hung between them. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I - it’s beautiful.”

Kristoff’s shoulders sagged in relief at her words, and he felt his heart skip a little in his chest. He practically bubbled with excitement, but he pushed down the adrenaline – something that he was, thankfully, quite skilled at; otherwise, he’d have thrown the box across the room so that he could heave her into the air and spin her round like the love-sick fool he was.

“Do you like it?” he asked her, despite the fact that the answer to his question is more than evident by the overwhelming look on her face. 

Her lips parted ever so slightly as she looked at him in pure disbelief, and he couldn’t help the way in which his own lips quirked into a lopsided grin.

“Like it?” she asked, smiling, too; and her voice twinkled with laughter. “I _love_ it!” she exclaimed, and the words were on the tip of his tongue; but then she practically leapt into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, and whilst Anna isn’t heavy by any means, the sudden movement surprised Kristoff enough that he jerked a little, an _oomf_ escaping his lips as he almost dropped the jewelry box onto the floor as a result of the disruption.

She laughed softly at his reaction to the change in her position, and those words that he so desperately wanted to tell her almost danced from his tongue once again, but Anna’s small hands had moved to cup his jaw – her thumbs stroking tentatively against the stubble that rested there – and she pressed her lips against his before he could so much as breathe.

The kiss was soft and gentle, but it’s so easy for Kristoff to lose himself in her mouth, and so he tucked those words away yet again and allowed himself the time to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the feel of her tongue leisurely stroking against his own.

Before the kiss intensified, Anna pulled away; although she remained close, her nose brushing against his, and the words that she murmured against his lips caused him to grin widely.

“Will you put it on, for me?” she asked - as if she even needed to, as if the answer would ever be _‘no’_ \- and Anna waited for him to nod his head in response before she turned around in his lap. 

She gathered her auburn hair in one hand and pulled it round to one side, granting him access to the pale skin of her slender neck, and Kristoff’s eyes wandered over the freckles that decorated her skin there.

The chain of the necklace was dainty and delicate in Kristoff’s large hands, and he cursed under his breath as he struggled to unclasp it. He couldn’t help but wonder why they go ahead and make these things so fucking small and delicate and _fragile_ and -

“There,” he breathed out once he had finally secured the clasp on the rose gold chain. Goosebumps appeared on the exposed flesh of her neck and upper shoulders, and he wanted to kiss them away; wanted to trace the skin with his tongue and follow those freckles to where he knows he will find more – but he still has the words that he wanted to tell her, first, and so he supposed that those kisses could wait just a little longer.

Once she turned around in his lap so that she was facing him once again, her hands immediately returned to wrap around his shoulders whilst her fingers buried into the hairs at the nape of his neck; and Kristoff had never been particularly fond of touch and contact - whilst he never actively shied away from it, he had never leaned into it, either; never sought it out, or even hoped for it - but now, things were _different_. 

Anna was incredibly tactile – she loved to have her hands on him – and he found that the feeling was very much mutual.

He leaned in close enough for his lips to brush against hers in a barely-there kiss, and then he nudged his nose against her own in order to encourage her to open her eyes.

He’d thought that the pendant was nice enough in its box – he wouldn’t have spent anywhere near enough money on it if he didn’t like it, regardless of what brand it was – but it didn’t compare to what he thought it looked like on Anna.

His heart thundered tremendously within his chest, and he moved his hands to rest on her hips and squeezed her softly; just to remind himself that she was there, that this was real, that she was actually his and that necklace on her neck confirmed it all -

“Anna,” he said, and his voice felt far too loud in the quiet of the room. 

Sven had rolled over in a huff when Anna had climbed into Kristoff’s lap, and at the sound of his master’s voice, the rottweiler got up and trotted into the kitchen. The blonde could just imagine what Sven was thinking - _is it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet round here?_ \- but he’d see to him later.

Kristoff cleared his throat and tried again, and he relaxed a little when he felt her scratch lightly at the back of his head. 

“Anna, I love you,” he murmured; his voice much lower, now; but he knew that she had heard him, could tell by the way in which her whole body froze so that she was completely still.

For the longest few seconds, her eyes danced over his, and then she moved forward to press her lips against his again. 

Their previous kisses had been soft and slow, but this was fuelled by passion and need, and Kristoff quickly responded to the desperate pace that she set. She pulled away much too soon for his liking, and Anna let out a long, shaky breath before she dropped her forehead to rest against his own.

“I - Kristoff, I love you too,” she panted, and he sank back into the couch as she shook her head from side to side - a bright grin spread out across her pretty face - and then began to pepper chaste kisses across his jawline. “I. Love. You. So. Much,” she breathed, and he let out a genuine laugh at her affection.

Relief floored him, and Kristoff grinned widely as he moved to kiss her again; and he couldn’t help the way at which his eyes roamed over the pendant that rested on her chest, couldn’t help the way his heart pounded at the way that she looked now that she was wearing it.

“I love you,” he repeated between kisses, filled with confidence, now. 

Kristoff loved her like he’d never loved anything, or anyone, before; and when she nipped lightly at his bottom lip, well - 

Not for the first time, the boxer knew that he was well and truly done for.


	23. Chapter 23

The words fell from his tongue with such ease now that it was almost possible for her to forget that there had ever been a time where she didn’t hear them.

He greeted her with those words in the mornings, when she had spent the night at his cabin and she woke up to find that he had wrapped his whole body around her own. 

He had a habit of doing that – when they were awake, she was the one who was always touching him; but it was Kristoff who sought her out in sleep. One strong bicep would typically rest over her middle and her bare back would be pressed up tightly against his chest, and his breath would softly tickle the back of her neck or her cheeks when she woke.

The holiday season had seen them go the longest amount of time without seeing one another for as long as Anna could recall so far, and though she had been busy - particularly during the build-up to Christmas - she’d missed him terribly; and Anna had wondered how she had ever slept without him, too. 

They didn’t spend every night together, of course; and that made those nights at the palace - in her too-large bed that felt so empty without his warmth, without the comforting weight of him holding her - a struggle. 

It almost felt like he had always been there, wherever she was; and almost five months may have seen them together, but the princess could hardly recall a time without him in her life.

He would murmur those words to her during his training sessions, too, when she would sneak into the gym to see him. Oaken was still very much a constant presence there, and although Anna was certain that the older man liked her at least a reasonable amount, he was also very adamant that Kristoff still needed to focus. 

Just because the season was finished didn’t mean that the boxer was able to completely slack off, and his training schedule was still pretty intense; but the thought of getting to see him all sweaty in nothing but a pair of sweatpants or baggy shorts made the risk of Oaken catching her worth it.

They were the last words that he left her with before sleep claimed them, too; whether it was with a chaste kiss to her hairline when she was in his arms or over the phone when she was in her own bed at the castle, Kristoff always said them to her once they had said goodbye and goodnight. 

She knew to expect them, now, after over one month of hearing them on a daily basis, but it didn’t stop her from smiling softly each time.

“Fuck, Anna, I love you.”

Alright, so maybe she didn’t smile so softly all the time – especially since he said those words an awful lot when he fucked her, too.

A gasp escaped her lips as his large hands gripped tightly to her hips, and his blunt, bitten-down nails buried themselves into the flesh of her waist and her upper ass in a way that was almost painful, and would no doubt leave tiny bruises; though the thought only seemed to excite her impossibly more. 

Anna swooned and sighed and smiled when Kristoff was soft and gentle with her, and she loved that, she really did. She enjoyed the way it felt when he made love to her, the way in which he peppered soft kisses along her face and jaw, the way he looked at her as though she meant the entire world to him, the way in which he moved slow and sensually until she found her own release. 

He’d tell her those words over and over and over again in those moments, and she believed him; could see it in his eyes, how much she meant to him.

But she also loved when he got like this, too – these moments when he seemed to completely lose himself within her, when the mountain man within him reared its head, when the strength that he held back so often around her came to life as he pleasured her. 

Sex wasn’t something that Anna had an awful lot of people available to talk with her about. As a member of the royal family – as a _princess_ \- she had to be incredibly careful about who she spoke to and what about, and whilst she had many friends, she didn’t feel as though she was able to trust most of them enough to discuss this. Anna had her sister, of course, but Elsa was – well, _Elsa_ . She was her older sister and the future queen, and, you know, _gay_ , and not exactly experienced, either: so all in all, Anna had ruled her out when it came to advice regarding her sexual activities with Kristoff.

There was her mother, too, but -

Oh, _god_.

Anna couldn’t cope with the thought of asking her _mother_ whether it was wrong or messed up in some kind of way or even just plain dirty that she loved the way that Kristoff fucked her, all rough and wild and hard.

His hips snapped against her own as he thrust into her faster and with much more force than he had used moments ago, and Anna whined in pleasure as he nipped at her breast. She had a glorious view of his tense biceps from this angle – he had released her hips so that his hands now rested on either side of her head as he pounded into her – but her light blue eyes roamed greedily over his face as she drank in his expression.

His own eyes were dark and blown wide with lust, and Anna’s breath hitched in her throat when his rhythm faltered. After a moment or two of waiting, she realised that Kristoff had focused his attention on the necklace that hung around her neck; and her lips quirked at the sight of him as he watched the _k_ pendant intently as it moved against her chest with each thrust of his hips.

Anna half-sobbed when Kristoff suddenly pushed himself backwards on his knees and wrapped his large palms around the backs of both of her thighs, his hands nearly enough wrapping around the whole flesh there. He pulled her legs back so that her knees brushed against her breasts and plunged his cock back inside of her without offering her a moment to adjust to the new angle, and Anna groaned loudly at the overwhelming pleasure that stirred within her.

He worried about hurting her – he'd told her as much – but she had reassured him that she wouldn’t ever hesitate to tell him to stop if it ever did get too much. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him to stop, now; and the grin on her face told him all that he needed to know in terms of how much she was enjoying this.

“ _Shit_ ,” Anna whined, and despite the intense speed at which he drove himself in and out of her, Kristoff still managed to let out a low huff of laughter at her curse.

Her toes curled from where they were positioned close to his chest, and although she wanted to continue watching him stare at her wearing the necklace as he pounded into her, she had no choice but to squeeze her eyes tightly shut as her impending release began to take over her body.

He noticed – he always did – and Kristoff seemed encouraged by the tell-tale signs of her orgasm. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder so that he could lower himself towards her and bring his face closer to her own, and he was close enough now that Anna could feel his hot breath on her neck as he panted quickly against her skin.

“Come on, Anna,” he practically hissed, and she knew that he was no doubt fighting his own release as he spurred her on. 

Kristoff moved one of his hands so that he could press his thumb harshly against her clit, and Anna gasped at the sudden contact, although the sound slipped into a whine as he began to circle it over her sensitive bud of nerves.

“C’mon, I need you to - please - _Anna_ -”

She knew that it would have been impossible for her to last much longer, especially with him begging her to come for him, and she cried out – the sound high and long – and her hips began to buck against his as her thighs trembled. 

Kristoff practically surrounded her, but it still felt like it wasn’t enough; she wanted him closer, closer, closer still - wanted him wanted him to bury his thick cock right to the hilt of her cunt and spill his seed inside of her and -

The damn burst, then, and Anna practically cried in euphoria as she came with his cock inside of her and his thumb pressed down on her throbbing clit. Her legs continued to tremble against him, and Anna heard him let out a little laugh of his own, too – he didn’t have to tell her how much he loved it when she came, she could see it all over his face – but his voice sounded a little far away as her toes curled.

Kristoff had slowed his thrusts right down, had given her the chance to ride out the waves of her orgasm; and it was ever so blissful as he fucked her at a slow, lazy speed now, his hips rocking against her own. 

“That’s it,” he murmured in encouragement as her body continued to jerk and twitch with the aftershocks of her orgasm. “That’s my girl.”

“Oh my god, Kris,” she practically sobbed as she finally blinked her eyes open. She had already been flustered from her release, but his words of praise had sparked a blush that felt as though it ran all the way down to her toes, and Anna could tell from the playful glint in his eyes that he knew _exactly_ what he was doing to her.

He smirked at her, clearly very satisfied with her response, but Anna bit down on her lip and clenched herself around him. The look in his eyes intensified almost immediately, and had he not moved so quickly in order to pull himself out of her and flip her body over so that she lay on her stomach, then Anna might have giggled at the change in his expression.

Goosebumps prickled over the skin of her back at the change in position, but his warm hands wrapped around her hips and served as a distraction from the cool air as he pulled her ass higher. Anna spread her legs instinctively in order to accommodate him as he moved behind her, and she let out an appreciative moan as he sunk himself back into her.

Now that her boxer knew that she was satisfied, it didn’t take him long to work himself to his own climax, and the rhythmic snap of his hips against her ass began to stutter and falter as he chanted her name like a prayer - _Anna, Anna, fuck, I love you, Anna_ \- until he pounded into her once more and came with a grunt. 

Anna sighed contentedly into the mattress as Kristoff spilled himself deep inside of her, and despite the fact that her own orgasm had been over for a few minutes, her legs still felt a little shaky when he finally flopped down beside her in the bed.

She really needed to go to the bathroom and clean herself up, but before she could so much as blink, strong arms had wrapped themselves around her and pulled her down to him so that they lay chest-to-chest, with Anna practically smothering him. She pressed her palm flat against the hard muscle of his chest and smiled at the feel of his heart beating fiercely.

“I love you,” he whispered into her hairline – his lips tickling the skin of her forehead – and Anna hummed in agreement as she snuggled impossibly closer to him.

“I love you too,” she responded, and _god_ , she really, _really_ did.

.

.

.

When Anna woke up, he wasn’t beside her, which wasn’t particularly unusual – Kristoff was an early riser, and she would often find that he was downstairs in his kitchen, cooking them breakfast, or even in the gym, having a quick work-out before she woke. She stretched out in his bed for a moment before the scent of eggs and bacon filled the room, and Anna grinned as she practically jumped awake in the bed and scrambled for her clothes.

She didn’t feel like wearing her jeans, though, and so she moved towards Kristoff’s bedside table and rummaged around in his top drawer until she found a plain black tee that she was sure he wouldn’t mind her borrowing. 

Anna stood up as she pulled the tee over her head, and she had to stifle a laugh at the sight of her in the floor-length mirrors that lined his wardrobe.

The tee was enormous, and it hung from her body in a way that absolutely dwarfed her. The arms of it fell past her elbows, and it dropped down to just above her knees; but it smelt like him, and Anna felt happier to wear this than she did any other ball gown or day dress. She pulled on her underwear – her bra could wait, however – and didn’t bother to brush her hair before she made her way down the stairs.

“Ugh, Kris, that smells so _good_ ,” she groaned as she padded down the hallway of the cabin, and she smiled when she heard him chuckle from the kitchen.

Anna stepped on through to the large room, but she almost tripped over her feet in surprise when she found that Kristoff wasn’t alone. 

He was standing by the sink – she had been right, he was currently frying bacon, and there were definitely scrambled eggs and toasted bread and were those sausages, too? - wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants, but her eyes only lingered on his muscular back before she glanced over at the island.

“Oh!” Anna gasped at the sight of his parents, and she blushed darkly at the realisation that she was wearing very little indeed. In fact, she was pretty certain that his mother and father would be able to work out _exactly_ what she had spent the night doing with their son; and Anna wondered how on earth she was going to manage to sneak back upstairs and get dressed. 

“I - hello! I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that anyone was here, I -”

“Good morning, Anna!” Bulda cut her off with a huge grin. “How did you sleep, dear?”

 _Great, thank you, once your son had thoroughly finished ravishing me_. “Uh -”

“This is Cliff, Kristoff’s father.”

Anna blinked twice before she offered the man a smile. 

“Hello! Nice to meet you,” she quickly recovered as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ears, and the man returned her greeting.

She glanced down at her feet, and not for the first time, she was incredibly thankful for the overall size of Kristoff. It meant that his shirt covered her up, at least; after all, she could very vaguely recall the way in which Hans’ clothes would fit her almost as well as her own. 

“I should -”

As if she could read her mind, Bulda shook her head from side to side and smiled broadly over at the redhead. 

“Come and sit down!” she insisted as she motioned towards the bar stool that was positioned across the island from the two of them. “Kristoff’s almost finished with breakfast – aren't you, sweetheart?” she asked, and Anna giggled as he sighed.

“Yes, Ma,” he told her, and he offered Anna a lopsided grin over his shoulder at the sound of her laughter.

Anna plopped herself down onto the bar stool, and she resisted the urge to lick her lips at Kristoff’s bare chest as he plated up the food from across the kitchen. Anna realised that she had been staring over at him for a little longer than was probably acceptable, and so she quickly turned her attention to his parents. She straightened her back and cleared her throat as she attempted to enter princess-mode.

“We just called round to go over the final details of the development,” Bulda told her, and Anna’s warm smile was genuine at her words.

Kristoff had told her of how his main goal through boxing had been to make enough money so that he could take care of his family, and the fact that he had been able to do just that made her heart practically burst with pride. They all still lived up North, apart from his parents who were renting in the city, and she knew that he was pleased that soon enough, they’d all be much closer to him as they moved into their new homes within the development. 

There were still a few last-minute touches to be done, but Kristoff had now mostly handed over the reins of the project to his mother so that she could focus on the interior design.

“That’s great,” Anna said. “I can’t wait to see it once it’s all finished.”

Kristoff deposited a plate of food in front of her and his mother, and Anna smiled up at him in thanks – her eyes only lingering on his chest for a moment – before he turned around and brought over the plates that were for himself and Cliff. The boxer sat himself down on the bar stool beside her, and he was close enough that his knee nudged against hers; but before Kristoff tucked into his own breakfast, he placed the hand that was closest to her on her lower back and rubbed her over the material of his tee shirt.

Anna looked over at him as she chewed her food, and she could see the question in his warm eyes - _is this okay?_

Slowly but surely, the princess was learning to read him; and she had a feeling that he was learning to read her, too. So, Anna swallowed her food and then smiled at him - _of course it’s okay_ \- before she shovelled in another mouthful of food.

Kristoff grinned at that, and then he dropped his hand from her back so that he could tuck into his own food. Cliff had asked him something about his training, and as Kristoff responded, Anna’s eyes danced over to Bulda.

She was surprised to find that the older woman was already looking at her, too; and there was something in her brown eyes that Anna couldn’t quite place. Happiness? Pride? Love? Acceptance? The redhead wasn’t too sure, but her lips quirked up at the sight of it, all the same. 

Anna was so happy with Kristoff, and she wondered whether that showed; wondered whether his mother could sense the joy that radiated from her whenever she was around him.

A few weeks ago, Anna had been nervous about the prospect of meeting Kristoff’s parents, but she needn’t have worried – they were lovely, just like their son, and Anna got the feeling that they liked her, too. Now, she couldn’t wait for Kristoff to finally meet her own parents: she just hoped that he would agree to it, in the first place.

After all, parties weren't really his thing.


	24. Chapter 24

“Kris! There you are, you – oh. _Oh_. Wow, you look – _great_.”

Kristoff raised his arm in an attempt to rub at the back of his neck as a blush began to creep up his face – not just from the compliment, but from the surprise that he saw in her eyes as she raked them over him – although he found the movement to be stiff; his biceps choked and restricted by the tailored suit that he wore.

This had been one of his main concerns, when Anna had invited him with pleading eyes. She hadn’t begged him – he wasn’t enough of an asshole to make his girlfriend beg him to accompany her to an event like this, even if it wasn’t his idea of fun – but he hadn’t had the slightest clue on what he was supposed to dress up as for a royal party.

Thankfully, his girlfriend had been more than eager to accompany him to find a suit and had taken him to some fancy store that Kristoff had never even heard of before. She had wanted him to wear navy, and the store assistant had even measured him - as in with an actual _tape_ _measure_ \- before presenting the pair with a variety of coloured fabric that came under the umbrella of ‘navy’.

Despite the hefty price tag that came with it, the suit wasn’t anything all that flashy or special. Since Anna had chosen the colour, she had left him to decide on what kind of shirt he wanted; but there had been far too much choice for his liking, so Kristoff had opted for a simple long-sleeved white shirt that seemed like the safest option of all. He didn’t have much of an idea of where to begin when it came to ties, either, but Anna had thankfully taken care of that, too.

“Well, there’s always paparazzi and official photographers and sometimes even people waiting outside just to see us arrive. And this is our first official outing together as a couple - I mean, like, to anything official, obviously – so I was thinking, what if I asked my dress designer to save some of the fabric that she uses from my dress and then use that to make you a matching tie? And then it’ll be a perfect match, and it’ll look _so_ good on all of the official photos that we get. But, I – that's only if it’s what you want – you can choose your own tie, obviously. I mean my dress is pink and I don’t even _know_ if boxer’s are allowed to wear pink, so it’s completely up to you -”

So, here he was; stood in a navy three-piece suit, a white shirt and a light pink tie that perfectly matched Anna’s gown in the foyer of the castle, waiting to get into the car and drive them ten minutes down the road to some fancy art gallery where they were hosting the party. Kristoff didn’t think much of the outfit, and the black shoes that he wore with it were nowhere near as comfortable as the sneakers he usually wore, but this was something that was important to Anna and her family, and so he was determined to try his best not to fuck it up.

Kristoff had shared so much of his life with her that she had accepted with open arms despite the fact that it wasn’t what she was used to, or that it probably wasn’t even appropriate for her to do so. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would see her cheering him on after winning a fight, but he had; and she’d sat back and supported him for weeks on end as the season had come to a close. 

Anna had slotted into his life with ease and grace, and it was only fair for him to at least attempt to do the same for her.

Despite the sweatiness of his palms, Kristoff grinned at the sight of her.

As far as he was concerned, she always looked beautiful - even at silly o’clock in the morning, when she had dribbled all over his pillow and her hair was all mussed in a wild mane of curls. But tonight, she looked every inch the princess that she was, and his breath hitched in his throat at the realisation that he had never seen her look – well, so _regal_.

His girl was an absolute vision in pink; the bodice of her gown tailored to accentuate her tiny waist and the slight curve of her hips, and then it eased out so widely that it reminded him of something a Disney princess might wear. Her red hair was wrapped up in some fancy up-do that he wouldn’t even begin to attempt to understand, and she wore a dazzling tiara with matching silver earrings that just seemed to make her light blue eyes pop.

His mouth opened and closed quickly as he grasped for the right words to say to her, aware of the fact that staff were busying themselves around them and could no doubt hear every word. “I - me? You can’t be – you look -” he was flustered, and Kristoff quickly stood up a little straighter before her and cleared his throat as he tried again. “Anna, you look beautiful,” he told her, the words sincere – but felt like they weren’t enough - as they fell slowly from his mouth.

Luckily, his clumsy tongue earned him the prettiest of smiles from her.

“Thank you,” Anna beamed, looking almost shy as she blinked up at him slowly. 

He would have been more than content to stand there and gape at her all night long, but he was acutely aware of the fact that they had a schedule to adhere to, and he wasn’t sure that meeting the parents at some fancy event like this would go down so well if he turned up late with her.

“I - are you ready?” he asked her, and Anna nodded her head eagerly as she checked that the backs of her earrings were secure.

“Are you sure that you don’t mind driving?” she asked as they began to walk out into the foyer towards the car that was ready and waiting for them. A man in a black suit opened the driver door for him, and Kristoff cringed a little.

He was perfectly capable of opening his own car door – he'd been doing it for years, so why did he suddenly need someone else to do it for him?

He shook his head as he sat down in the leather seat and pulled on his seatbelt. “Not at all,” he responded to her question and decided to keep it to himself that he thought that driving might help to calm his nerves as they made their way over to the venue.

They were travelling in a blacked-out Range Rover, which he had learned was one of many royal car brands; and Anna had explained to him how her father had some sort of deal with the company that meant that immediate members of the royal family had to be photographed arriving at functions in their cars. 

Once they had driven out of the castle grounds, Anna smiled over at him and placed her small hand on his thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

“This is going to be fine, you know,” she told him, her tone soft and gentle and careful, and Kristoff wondered if it was really that obvious that he was nervous. “They’re going to love you. I know Elsa already does.”

The blonde wasn’t so sure about that, but he was hardly going to tell her that. 

“If you say so,” he responded with a sigh. “Just - just remind me, again: what is it that I’m supposed to call your parents?”

Anna laughed.

.

.

.

Anna had warned him that there would be photographers and crowds of people, but Kristoff hadn’t realised just how many there would be. The drive over had somewhat calmed his nerves, but now that he pulled up outside the tall steps of the gallery, he began to feel a little nauseous.

“Are you ready?” Anna asked as she unclipped her seatbelt, and Kristoff nodded his head in response, although his wide eyes were busy peering out of the window and scanning the crowds of people. “Let’s go, then,” she encouraged him, and Kristoff let out one final sigh before he pushed open the car door.

Kristoff would never have admitted it – he felt ridiculous enough as it was – but he had spent most of his free time during the week watching videos online of royals attending these kinds of events, and he had particularly studied the way in which the men behaved. So, he handed the keys over to the valet who stood at the bottom of the steps – who addressed him with a murmured _thank you, sir_ before he scuttled away from the bright, flashing lights of the cameras – and Kristoff stood tall and still as he waited for Anna to come round from the passenger side of the car.

Anna beamed as she approached him, and she let out a genuine laugh as the crowds of people who stood behind the fences that had blocked their access to the gallery began to cheer as she appeared from the other side of the vehicle. Kristoff’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he felt so far out of his comfort zone that he wasn’t even sure it was real anymore, but he kept his game-face on as he bent his elbow so that Anna could tuck her arm into the crook of it.

She hummed in approval at the invitation, and she grinned up at him as she slipped her hand into the space that he had made for her. The feel of her fingers squeezing into his forearm grounded him, and Kristoff tried to focus on the feeling of it as his eyes danced over the crowds. It was impossible to make out what they were shouting – for all that he knew, they could be crying out about how outrageous it was for him to be accompanying their princess to this kind of thing – and so he tried his best to drown out the noise.

There were about fifteen tall steps that led up to the entrance of the gallery, and Kristoff could have easily sprinted up them in a matter of seconds, but he knew that Anna was wearing heels, and so he let her set the pace. They ascended slowly but surely, and Anna waved and smiled at the crowds of people whilst Kristoff kept his eyes focused on the gallery doors that waited for them at the top of the steps.

Once they finally reached the top of the steps, Anna paused; and just a moment later, a man in a dark suit approached them. He bowed deeply before Anna in a way that made Kristoff cringe inwardly, but then he went on to welcome them both to the event. It was difficult to hear what he had to say over the noise of the crowds, but once he had finished his spiel, he wished them both a good evening.

Kristoff went to move towards the large entrance doors, but he held himself back as Anna dug her fingers into his forearm in a silent instruction to wait. He turned to look at her and offered her a quizzical look – in all of the videos that he had watched, there was never anything more to the welcomes – but Anna offered him a soft smile before she removed her hand from his elbow.

His lips parted a little at the loss of contact, but before Kristoff could so much as blink, she had raised both of her hands and had started to brush them over the lapels of his suit. Kristoff was acutely aware of the flashing cameras and the cheering crowd; but Anna was either oblivious to their presence, or knew exactly what she was doing.

“There,” she murmured with a smile so warm and genuine that Kristoff wondered whether there had actually been something wrong with his lapels, but then she stood on her tiptoes ever so slightly so that she could run her fingers through his slicked-back hair. 

She ruffled the blonde strands so that they fell a little looser, and Kristoff blushed deeply at the affectionate display. 

“You’re perfect,” she grinned, and he felt a little dazed as she looped her hand through his arm once more and nudged him discreetly, another small, silent instruction for him to step forward.

Kristoff exhaled one deep, quick breath before he did so; and although he had initially been a little confused by her little show, he heard the distinct screams of the crowd and knew from the glint in her eyes that it had been the reaction she’d hoped for. 

“I told you that they’d love you,” she grinned as Kristoff led them through the entry doors, and despite himself, he chuckled.

.

.

.

Over the course of the week, Anna had briefed him about what to expect once they arrived at the gallery, and although Kristoff felt out of place and completely ridiculous – after all, it wasn’t as though any of these people were actually here to see him - he made his way down the line of immaculately-dressed people who had waited patiently and shook each of their hands and greeted them politely. He made a conscious effort to speak clearly, and pronounce the syllables of each word correctly, and his shoulders had sagged in relief when they finally made their way to the end of the line.

Next, they had to pose for official photographs before they headed into the actual party. Kristoff supposed that it made sense to have the pictures taken as guests arrived and were well-presented, but he still begrudged the faff of it, although Anna was enthusiastic at the thought of them having a picture together that wasn’t a selfie. 

The photographers took their time with the couple, and Anna took it all in her stride as she posed the way in which they encouraged her to; first, standing beside him with her hand tucked into his elbow, then a little more to the side with one of her hands on his chest, and then smiling at him rather than the camera, and then at the camera once again.

By the end of it all, Kristoff decided that he liked their selfies just fine.

“Thank you!” Anna called over her shoulder as they finally walked away from the official photographers, and Kristoff busied his hands by tugging nervously at the cuffs of his suit as they passed by the framed portraits that lined the gallery walls and walked towards the large, open space where the party was in full swing.

Before he could step any closer towards the area, Anna reached out and placed her slender palm against his bicep in a tentative hold, and the feather weight feel of her against him caused Kristoff to stop in his tracks immediately.

He tilted his chin so that he could peer down at her – even wearing heels, Anna was still so tiny in comparison to him – and his eyes searched her face, finding nothing but warmth as she gazed up at him, her lips quirked up ever so slightly in the hint of a smile.

“Hey,” she murmured, and Kristoff smiled.

“Hey,” he responded, and he couldn’t help but reach out to rest one of his large palms against her lower back, and he embraced the unfamiliar sensation as the intricate details of the bodice of her dress brushed against his calloused palm and fingers.

Anna looked up at him for a moment longer, and then she caught him by surprise as she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste, quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

“I love you,” she told him, and Kristoff released the breath that he had been holding.

“I love you, too,” he said, his voice practically a whisper, and Anna smiled softly at him before she began to move once again.

.

.

.

“You brush up well.”

Kristoff startled out of his thoughts at the voice. 

He had been stood by a wall, a glass of champagne in each hand – he was currently holding Anna’s for her – as he watched the princess dance with some duke or lord, or whatever he was. It was part of her job, he knew, to entertain like this; and although he didn’t particularly enjoy seeing her in the arms of another man, Kristoff equally couldn’t dance, so it wasn’t as though he would have been able to spin her around the floor in front of the guests, even if he had wanted to.

“I - uh – well -” he stuttered. 

The brunette had caught him off guard, and Kristoff blushed at the realisation that she had no doubt seen him staring intently over at Anna as she lit up the floor; but the dark-haired young woman’s eyes widened as though she had thought something in horror.

“Oh my god, I – I'm not hitting on you!” she exclaimed as she cut him off before he could continue to attempt to blabber out a response. “I’m gay.”

Kristoff frowned at that. 

“Uh - I know,” he responded with a nod of his head. He was a little relieved at the thought that she may not have noticed him staring longingly at Anna, after all. “You’re Elsa’s girlfriend, right?” he asked as he cocked his head a little to the side, and the younger woman smiled.

“That’s me,” she confirmed with a smile. “Honeymaren. You can call me Honey, though,” she told him in the exact same way that she had done all those weeks ago, the first time that he had met her after his final fight of the season.

The memory caused his lips to quirk up in a smile. “I remember,” he told her. “You’re Ryder’s sister, too,” he added, and Honeymaren nodded. “He’s a nice guy, your brother.”

“He’s okay,” she said with a dismissive shrug, and Kristoff chuckled. 

He couldn’t help but glance over at where Anna was still dancing, but he quickly realised that Elsa hadn’t accompanied her sister on the floor, and he returned his gaze back to Honeymaren once again. 

“Where is she?” he asked, relieved that he didn’t have to confirm who he was talking about.

“Finishing up with her dad, I think,” Honeymaren told him as she turned her head over her shoulder and glanced in the opposite direction that Anna was dancing in. “She should be - there. Hi!” she called as Elsa approached, a fair-haired man walking alongside her. Honeymaren quickly looked back at Kristoff. 

“You’ve met the parents, right?” she asked, but Kristoff quickly shook his head from side to side. “Alright - well, look like you’re about to.”

Right on cue, Elsa stood beside Honeymaren and smiled warmly at Kristoff.

“Kristoff,” she said, “it’s so nice to see you.” 

Kristoff nodded in acknowledgement of her greeting and offered her a smile of his own. 

“You too,” he responded, though he cringed at how casual the response was.

Whilst Anna had worn a huge ball gown, her older sister had opted for a sleek purple dress that suited her well. Elsa’s blue eyes danced over the two champagne glasses that he was holding, and she smirked a little.

“Having a good night?” she asked, and Kristoff’s eyes widened as he looked down at the drinks and then back up at Elsa.

“Uh - they aren’t both mine,” he told her. “I’m holding Anna’s for her, whilst she dances.”

Elsa smiled at that. “I see,” she said, laughter in her voice, but then her eyes flickered between Kristoff and the fair-haired man who stood beside her - _the king_ \- and she tugged on Honeymaren’s bare elbow. 

“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked, and the dark-haired woman nodded her head rapidly. “Perfect,” Elsa grinned as she began to lead the way away from the two men. “I’ll see you later, I’m sure,” Elsa said before she quickly departed, and Kristoff huffed out a low ‘ _sounds good’_ as she turned her back and walked away.

Kristoff looked back over at Anna – who was still preoccupied with her dance partner – before he looked back at her father. 

Five foot eleven, around one-hundred and forty pounds, lean, a little soft around the abdomen, small hands -

Oh my god, you’re sizing up the fucking _King_.

He couldn’t help it, though: months of intense training with Oaken had ingrained it into him that he needed to look out for these kinds of things, that he needed to stay sharp and alert so that he could pay attention to the details; and Kristoff found himself unintentionally analysing almost every man that he met, whether they were a potential threat in the ring or not.

The boxer felt impossibly more awkward at the thought of standing in the ring with Anna’s father, and he cleared his throat – and attempted to clear his mind. 

“Uh - Your Majesty,” he said in greeting, and he bowed his head for a moment. 

Kristoff couldn’t recall whether or not he was supposed to actually bow, or whether he was supposed to shake his hand, or something, but both of his hands were preoccupied with champagne glasses, so he figured that the man would understand his lack of... well, of anything more.

To Kristoff’s surprise, Anna’s father let out a chuckle.

“Please - Agnarr is just fine,” he told him, and Kristoff straightened his neck once again. He knew that he had a terrible habit of shrinking in on himself when he was nervous, and so he made a conscious effort to stand tall and broad. “You must be Kristoff. _Anna’s_ Kristoff.”

He blushed at that, but nodded anyway. “That’s me.”

“My daughter has told me a lot about you,” the King continued as he looked up at Kristoff. The look in the older man’s eyes was neutral and impossible to read. He paused for a moment before he spoke again. “She speaks very highly of you.”

What the fuck was he supposed to say to that?

_‘Thanks’?_

_‘I sure hope so’?_

“Anna means a lot to me,” he said instead.

 _And I love her_ , he held back.

Her father continued to eye him for a few more seconds before his lips turned upwards into a soft smile. 

“All I want is for my daughter to be happy, Kristoff,” the King told him, and Kristoff swallowed thickly. “Do you understand?”

“I do.”

Agnarr’s straight posture seemed to relax a little at that, and his expression softened further. Kristoff wondered if this was his transition from ‘King’ to ‘normal person’. 

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, and the boxer opened his mouth to speak again, but he was – thankfully – spared by the sound of the sweetest voice that he knew interrupting them.

“Kristoff!” she called, laughter in her breathy voice. “There you are! I’ve been trying to find you, I – oh,” she smiled as she came to stand beside Kristoff, her shoulder pressed tightly against his bicep as she leaned into him a little. “Hi.”

“Sweetheart,” he nodded in greeting, and Kristoff didn’t miss the way in which the King’s eyes lingered on where Anna had pressed herself tightly up against him. 

The action was so comfortable and casual, the closeness between them so easynow, but Kristoff could only hope that her father wouldn’t think too much on why the couple were so comfortable when it came to casual touch. 

“How was your dance?”

“Great!” Anna responded with enthusiasm before she snaked one of her arms around Kristoff and reached to take her glass of champagne from him. 

Anna gulped down some of the alcohol – how she managed to, he had no idea, since he had never cared that much for the taste of it – before she offered her father a dazzling smile.

“Thirsty work, though,” she told him, and Agnarr chuckled.

“Yes, I can imagine,” the King said, and Anna tilted her chin so that she could look up at Kristoff.

“How do I look?” she asked him, and she moved to press her free hand against one of her cheeks. “I feel all sweaty and gross, now.”

Kristoff offered her a soft, closed-lip smile as his eyes roamed over her face. 

“You look perfect,” he told her without any hesitation, and although the blush on his cheeks deepened at the realisation that her father was standing right there, the huge smile that lit up Anna’s face at his words was more than worth it.

“Yes,” Agnarr agreed, and Kristoff turned his attention to the King, who seemed to be smiling at him a little differently, now. “You look perfect, Anna,” he said, and Anna hummed happily as she leaned her head against Kristoff’s shoulder. 

Was she a little tipsy, already?

“Now, your mother has been looking everywhere for you,” her father continued, and then he glanced up to meet Kristoff’s eyes. “Both of you. Care to join me in finding her?”

Anna nodded her head enthusiastically and grinned. “That sounds perfect!” she said, and she looped her hand through Kristoff’s elbow once more as she moved to follow her father’s lead. “I can’t wait to see what she’s wearing!”

.

.

.

It was gone two o’clock in the morning by the time that the couple arrive back at the palace – this time, they did have a driver to escort them, since Kristoff indulged himself in a couple of glasses of champagne over the course of the evening – and Anna had already convinced him the day before that it was a good idea to stay in one of the spare rooms across the hall from her.

She had removed her heels in the car - _these things are_ killing _me!_ \- and so Kristoff had resorted to carrying her bridal-style through the castle, following her directions as she guided him towards her room. 

He had only visited her here once, and his sense of direction was good, but not _that_ good.

“You look so handsome in your suit,” Anna grinned at him as she placed kisses across his jaw, her arms draped lazily around his neck. Her words were a little slurred, and he had a feeling that she would fall asleep as soon as he took her to her bedroom. “I just want to – I just – rip it off you,” she rushed, and then giggled, and Kristoff smiled despite himself.

“You’re nothing but trouble, you know that?” he told her as he approached the door to her bedroom, and he had to bend a little awkwardly in order to open it with his elbow due to the fact that she didn’t seem at all keen on jumping from his arms. 

Anna simply laughed at him some more as she pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

“Yeah, but you love me anyway,” she grinned, and Kristoff chuckled as he pulled the sheets back in order to make room for her before he placed her down carefully on the mattress.

“Yeah, I do,” he agreed, and Anna sighed happily as he busied his hands and pulled the duvet around her.

Kristoff would have offered to help her to change into something more appropriate for sleeping; but Anna’s eyelids were already drooping as she stretched out her limbs and nuzzled her cheek into her pillow, and he knew that it wouldn’t be the first time that she had gone to sleep in a gown like this.

Once he was satisfied that she was tucked in and as comfortable as she could be in a gown of that size, Kristoff brushed one of his large hands over her face and through her auburn hair. What had been a neatly styled do had come loose throughout the course of the evening, and he tucked a stray strand behind her ear before he bent down and pressed his lips tentatively to her hairline.

“Sweet dreams, princess,” he said, his voice soft and low as Anna sighed in content and snuggled further into the pillow. “I love you.”


	25. Chapter 25

“I want to take you out tonight,” Kristoff said to her as he continued with his workout, and he sounded a little out of breath, which wasn’t something that she heard in his voice all that often.

His workout schedules were intense, and he’d insisted that they were boring, too; but Anna had told him that she’d rather be bored in his company than bored in her room, and so she had joined him at Oaken’s as he went about his daily routine.

First, Kristoff had jumped rope; then he had flown through a routine where he alternated between burpees, squats and mountain climbers, then he had moved on to do some work on the punching bag, and he was now currently doing press ups on one of the thicker gym mats just a few inches away from her.

Anna, meanwhile, was sitting on one of the workout benches, reading a book. 

It had been exhausting just watching him – she wasn’t much of a gym-junkie herself (okay, so she wasn’t a gym-junkie full stop) – and the sound of his voice had jerked her back to reality and away from the fantasy world that she had been rapidly losing herself in.

“Really?” she said with a smile.

They were now six months into their relationship, and since they had made an agreement very early on that they would work as hard as possible to keep the details of their relationship private, they had never actually been out on an official date. Anna had learned from her previous mistakes about sharing the intimate details of her life, and relationships, with the world, and Kristoff was a private person in general, so their decision to keep out of the public eye together as much as possible had been easy enough.

Much to her surprise, Anna found that she actually quite liked the peace and quiet that came with their privacy. There was always speculation, of course; and the media had a way of putting a spin on everything, but there were only so many straws that journalists could clutch at before they had nothing at all, and they tended to just re-visit the same stories and re-use the same photos over and over again.

Anna had thoroughly enjoyed the last six months that they had been together; had found pleasure in the evenings that they had spent wrapped up in one another within the secrecy of Kristoff’s cabin, had found a thrill in the days that they spent exploring the quiet woods nearby with Sven in tow. She had never thought that she would be able to have something like this with anyone, and she found that the nights and days without him left her wanting and longing.

So the sudden change of heart from Kristoff surprised her, but the redhead wasn’t entirely horrified about the idea of spending time together with him somewhere a little more public. They had already endured a royal party, after all; and besides, it wasn’t as though the general public weren’t familiar with the notion of their relationship – her ex-boyfriend had made quick work of that with his ridiculous ‘tell all’ interview - and Anna had made sure to make even more of a point about it when they were photographed at the party together a few weeks prior.

“Everyone’s talking about how you showed Kristoff off before the two of you went into the party, you know,” Olaf had told her in the days that followed the event. “People are going _crazy_ – twitter is losing its mind, the fan instagram accounts are spamming like mad, and I don’t actually use tumblr, but apparently, it’s manic on there, too.”

Her friend wasn’t even over-exaggerating, either – images of Anna straightening Kristoff’s lapels and ruffling her hand through his hair had been on the front covers of newspapers and gossip magazines alike, and so called ‘body language experts’ had even been drafted in to analyse the obvious connection and closeness between the couple from the images. Their couple name had even been trending on twitter, although she hadn’t dared to tell Kristoff that – she didn’t want to embarrass him.

“I know,” Anna had smiled in response. “That was kind of the point.”

“What – a middle finger to Hans?” her friend had grinned, but Anna shook her head.

It wasn’t just a middle finger to Hans, of course - it was a middle finger to everyone who ever had anything negative to say about the two of them.

“So, what do you think?” Kristoff asked.

He was now sitting upright on the mat, his black tee-shirt entirely soaked with his sweat, a sure sign that he had worked himself hard over the past ninety minutes. Kristoff was close enough to her that Anna could just about make out the taught muscles of his chest, thanks to the sweat, although it was difficult due to the dark fabric of the top.

Anna smiled a little bashfully at him. “I -”

“You didn't hear a word that I just said, did you?” he asked, and although the blonde was trying his best to put on a blank face – maybe even a grumpy expression – he wasn’t the best actor, and Anna could see the way in which his lips were sneaking upwards and into a grin.

She giggled, and then he pushed himself forwards so that he was positioned on all fours; and the action brought him ever so closer towards her.

“I’m sorry,” she told him sincerely as she placed the book down on the bench beside her, although her wicked grin widened as he shuffled right up to her on his hands and knees and closed the distance between them.

When he reached her, he placed both of his large palms on the bench either side of her, effectively pinning her into place with his body - not that she would want to get away from him, of course. Kristoff was still so tall, though; and even with her sat up on the bench and him on the floor balancing on his knees, Anna still had to tilt her chin slightly to meet his eyes.

“I got lost there for a minute, but I’m back now,” she told him.

He leaned forward to press a soft, chaste kiss to her lips, and although he smelt like sweat – his whole body and hair damp from his rigorous workout – Anna placed her hands around the back of his thick neck and pulled him in closer. 

“I’m glad,” he responded, still so close to her that his stubble tickled her lips as he spoke, and then he opened his mouth against hers as she tugged him in for another kiss.

“If you keep on kissing me like that, then you’re going to give me no choice but to take matters into my own hands and have my way with you right here in this gym, Bjorgman,” Anna murmured against his lips, although she couldn’t resist the urge to press her chest impossibly closer to his own.

Kristoff hummed in response, and Anna felt the sound vibrate through him in a way that thrilled her to her core, and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

“Well, I guess if you have absolutely no choice...” the boxer trailed off, and Anna gasped loudly when he nipped at her lower lip.

His thick fingers had trailed away from the bench and were now stroking up and down the length of her thighs over the denim of her skinny jeans, and Anna shivered against him.

“Besides,” he continued as he kissed her again. “S’not like it’d be the first time you’ve fucked me in here.”

Anna giggled against his mouth. 

“Excuse _me_ sir, I am a _princess_ ,” she teased, and Kristoff let out a low growl as he squeezed the outside of her thighs.

“Yeah, right,” he teased, and before she could think of anything smart to say back to him, Kristoff maneuvered his fingers into the back pockets of her jeans and yanked her tightly against him.

Anna yelped in delight at the surprise movement, and she revelled in the feel of her centre aligning with the length of his hard cock – even if it was through the layers of her jeans and his sweatpants.

“Only for you,” she breathed.

Kristoff pulled back a little – far enough so that she’d have to move forward to chase his lips with her own, but he remained close enough that their chests heaved up and down against one another’s - and his dark eyes danced over the _k_ pendant that hung on her neck.

“Always,” he responded, and Anna’s breath hitched in her throat as he pressed his mouth against hers once more.

 _Always_.

She liked the sound of that.

.

.

.

It isn’t until later – after a delicious meal in an authentic Italian restaurant that Anna had never even heard of, but that Kristoff had been visiting since he moved to the city – that she finally got to have him buried inside of her, since Oaken had interrupted their earlier activities in his gym.

“Anna,” Kristoff hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. “I swear to god, if you don’t put it in, I’m - _ah_ \- ”

From where she was positioned on top of him, Anna let out a breathy laugh. 

She had been teasing him for a few minutes, now; had been sliding herself up and down the length of his throbbing cock in a way that stimulated her clit but left him bucking his hips wildly, and now the head of him had turned an angry shade of purple.

“I don’t think that you’re in a position to attempt to make threats, Kris,” she murmured, and her fingernails dug harder into the muscle of his chest from where she rested her palms against him. 

Kristoff let out a whine at her words, and Anna ground herself against him with more force. 

“Why don’t you try asking me nicely?” she said in the best sing-song voice she could muster, although it was a little hard to focus on teasing him when he kept rocking his hips against her.

“Fucking - Anna, _shit_ , Anna, please, _please_ -”

Anna could hear the desperation in his voice and she felt the way in which his thighs trembled beneath the light weight of her, and it made her heart soar to know that she could do this to him, to know that he would _let_ her - because, all joking aside, they both knew that Kristoff could overpower her with ease if he really wanted to.

So, she ceased the rolling of her hips and positioned the head of his cock against her entrance. 

“Okay,” she told him, her fingernails tickling the fair hairs that decorated his chest. “Since you were such a good boy, and asked so nicely,” she finished, and Anna sighed in relief as she slowly slid down the length of his cock.

Beneath her, Kristoff whined and writhed as she sank further and further down him until there was no way of truly knowing where he started and she ended; and Anna smiled as his large palms came to rest on either side of her waist. She rocked her hips experimentally, earning a grunt from the boxer, and then she repeated the motion again and again until she was bouncing rhythmically up and down him.

“ _Anna_ ,” he panted, his warm brown eyes squinted open enough so that she could see just how lust-filled they were. “Anna, I’m not going to last, you need to -”

She shushed him, then, and increased the speed of her movements; and Kristoff dug his hands into her flesh so that he could aid her as she rode him, lifting her slightly as he began to fuck into her in return. 

The new angle of his sharp hips had Anna gasping in pleasure, and since there was no-one around for miles to hear them, she didn’t bother to hold back her cries as Kristoff manipulated her body so that she bounced against him at a relentless tempo.

Anna hadn’t thought that she would reach a release from this position, but the slight alteration of his hips had meant that Kristoff was pounding against something unfamiliar; and the redhead had never climaxed from intercourse alone before – she'd always relied on clitoral stimulation – but she shrieked in pleasure as it flooded her, and her upper body went completely limp as her orgasm drained her for all that she had.

Kristoff continued to fuck into her, even as Anna collapsed against his chest and whined and panted into the crook of his neck; and after thirty seconds or so of him thrusting up at a seemingly impossible speed, Kristoff was overcome by his own release and he spilled himself deep inside of her. 

Anna groaned at the sensation of his length pulsating against her walls, and she whimpered at the loss of him when he eventually tilted her hips and removed himself from inside of her.

“Oh my god,” she moaned, and Kristoff chuckled as he placed a kiss to her damp forehead. “That was – I – you – oh my _god_. I love you _so_ much,” she whispered.

Kristoff left one hand on her waist and brought the other to tangle in the strands of her hair, and he smiled against her cheek as he began to run his fingers through her red locks. 

“Not nearly as much as I love you,” he responded, and whilst Anna knew from experience that she really needed to go and clean herself up, she couldn’t find it within her just yet to remove herself from his arms.


	26. Chapter 26

“Kristoff - I - _wow_. It’s so beautiful.”

Despite the smile that lit up her face, tears pricked into her light eyes as she drank in the sight of the newly finished homes.

She wasn’t exaggerating, they really were beautiful; built with a mixture of red brick and dark wood, just like his own, with tall windows and glass balconies and wooden beams. 

A total of five houses started the line up on either side of the plot, all leading to one single house that stood in the centre, which he had chosen for his parents. Each house was separated by individual gardens and driveways, and a large communal area sat in the middle of the plot in order to break it all up.

He had done this for his family, and Anna had always known that Kristoff was a good man – had felt it in her bones, before she even really knew him – but she still felt utterly overwhelmed at the thought.

It was perfect and exactly how he had wanted it to be – she had seen the sketches, heard him talk about his ideas and hopes with the developers – and Anna was so proud of him.

“They’re going to love it,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion, and Anna knew that if she looked at him in that moment then she wouldn’t have been able to hold back the tears; so she was grateful when he draped one of his arms over her shoulders and pulled her in close.

She sighed in content as he tucked her up against him, and Kristoff rested his chin on top of her head before he let out a long breath, too. 

“I hope so,” he murmured, and she brought her hand to rest over his and gave it a squeeze.

.

.

.

Kristoff’s family was _huge_.

Anna had known that for a while, now – he had told her as much, of course, and she had seen the photographs that decorated his cabin - although there more and more pictures of the two of them together now, as well; and one of the official photographs that they had taken from the royal party sat proudly on his bedside table - and there obviously had to be a lot of Bjorgman’s to fill all of those houses that he had had built; but that didn’t mean that Anna had actually processed just how many people would be here.

They had thrown a family party to celebrate them all moving in, and Anna had been invited, too. She had dressed down for the occasion since she knew that it would be casual, and opted for a pair of dark skinny jeans, black thigh-high boots and sparkly green top. 

She knew how much he loved the colour on her – he'd told her before, murmured it into her ear and the crook of her neck when he’d undressed her of it in the past – and Anna had grinned happily when his eyes roamed over her hungrily.

”Later,” she had told him with a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, and Kristoff had huffed, though the small grin on his face gave his true happiness away.

He had driven them over in his truck - he had told her how he was looking for something new, but how he just didn’t want to get rid of it just yet - and Anna stayed by his side for most of the evening. She put on her best princess voice as she was introduced to his relatives, though she was mostly content just to watch and listen as he interacted with his family.

Anna couldn’t help but be a little envious of what he had here. She knew that he hadn’t always had such a large family – he'd told her stories of his early childhood, how it was spent hopping from children’s home to foster home and back to children’s home again, until Bulda had found him and claimed him as her own – and that he deserved the love more than anyone she knew, but the sight of him surrounded by so many people who loved him and cared about him reminded her of what was so very lacking in her own life.

The only family that Anna had besides her immediate family were all outside of Norway; distant relatives who lived scattered across Europe, all content with living in palaces and castles of their own, none of them giving her or her loneliness a second thought as they continued about their lives in luxury. For much of her life, Anna had longed for a friend; she had Elsa, of course, but she had spent many years in isolation as she worked through her own troubles, and although they were close now, it didn’t completely heal the hurt that had already been done.

She drank in the way in which Kristoff mingled with his large family with a familiar ease, watched as he smiled and laughed and bantered with them, and Anna realised that this was the most relaxed that she had ever seen him around such a large group of people. Her blue eyes softened at how he picked up the smaller children with casual ease and familiarity, how he teased them and seemed to know exactly what to say to make them laugh.

Anna thought of how nice it was to see Kristoff with a child in his muscular arms, and the wheels of her imagination began to turn at the sight. She blushed to herself and was distracted by Bulda insisting that they have a photo together.

The children had seemed to take a strong liking to Anna, though, and at some point in the evening, she had been summoned away to play with them in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Anna didn’t mind at all, although they had pulled her away so quickly - they were much stronger than they looked - that she hadn’t had the chance to update Kristoff on where she was going.

“Don’t worry,” one of the older girls had told her when Anna looked over her shoulder to where he was standing with a group of men, his broad back facing her. “Kris will come and find you if he needs you.”

Anna had snorted loudly at that.

Bulda had done her best to begin to decorate the houses, although there wasn’t much in this child’s bedroom other than a bed, a wardrobe, and a kitchen play set; and so one of the older girls announced that it was time for a tea party, and instructed them all to sit in a circle on the freshly laid carpet. Anna thanked them gracefully as they offered her plastic fruit and cakes, and she made a point of lifting her pinky when she pretended to sip on some tea.

“Anna, are you really a princess?”

The redhead smiled softly at the little girl who had practically thrown herself into her lap just a few moments before. She was so young - perhaps three, maybe four years old – with the most beautiful dark curls and large brown eyes that tugged at Anna’s heart something chronic.

The weight of the little one in her lap stirred something deep within her that felt familiar to the feeling she had got when she saw Kristoff holding one of the children on his hip earlier on, and Anna knew that she had to push it down. She had always wanted to be a mother, always longed to carry a child of her own; but she knew that it wasn’t possible – not yet, at least. Regardless of what century she was in, she was a princess, and there was no question that Kristoff would have to marry her before she could carry his child.

No matter how much she longed for it, now.

“I am,” Anna answered with a nod of her head, and the little one giggled as the pink party hat slid a little down Anna’s hair. That was one of the rules of the tea party, apparently – guests had to wear a party hat.

No exceptions.

“Me, too,” the little one told her in a half-whispered voice, and Anna grinned in delight. “But you can’t tell anyone. It’s a _secret_.”

Anna chuckled and leaned in close so that she could speak quietly into her ear, although none of the others were paying much attention to their conversation, anyway. “Don’t worry. Your secret's safe with me.”

“There you are.”

Anna grinned happily at the sound of his voice, and she turned her head over her shoulder from where she was knelt on the floor to find him leaning casually against the doorway. He had rolled the light blue long-sleeved top that he was wearing up to his elbows, showing off his deliciously thick forearms from where he had crossed his arms over his chest, and Anna licked her lips at the sight of him.

He looked so handsome tonight, and it had been well over eight months now since Kristoff had asked her to be his girlfriend, but Anna’s stomach still flipped and her core still tingled when he looked at her like that.

The children appeared to be just as happy to see him.

“Kris!”

“Look what I've got!”

“Anna’s a _real_ princess!”

Kristoff chuckled as all of the girls spoke up at once, excitement and enthusiasm evident in their high-pitched voices as they fought over one another for his attention; and the little one who had been perched in Anna’s lap - Maria - jumped away and rushed over to him, her arms outstretched.

Anna knew from experience just how easy it was for adults to feign relationships with one another. She saw it at every party, every royal event she attended; men who barely knew each other – or even actively disliked one another – kissing up to each other, hoping that the other wouldn’t realise just how despised they really were. Her own ex-boyfriend had feigned his feelings towards her, had led her to believe there were feelings between them that simply weren’t, and Anna had felt first-hand the aftermath of manipulation and lies when it came to relationships.

But what she also knew was that there was absolutely no way of faking the comfortable relationship that these children had with Kristoff, that the little ones had no interest in pretending that they adored him; and her heart soared as she thought again about how much of a good man he was.

Not for the first time, Anna wondered how on earth she managed to get so lucky.

Kristoff bent at the waist and caught the girl in his muscular arms with ease, although he feigned a struggle as he stood upright and lifted her to his chest. Her tiny hands wandered to the stubble of his cheeks, and she let out a giggle as she patted his face; no doubt tickled by the short, fair hairs.

“Oof - you’re getting heavy now,” he told her with a hint of a smile, and he was teasing her, of course; but she nodded her head solemnly.

“Ma says it’s ‘cause I eat too much chocolate,” Maria responded with a pout, and Kristoff pulled a face in return.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much chocolate,” he told her, deadly serious, though he widened his eyes and looked around the room cautiously before he continued, his voice lower, more of a whisper, now. “But don’t tell your ma that I said that.”

The girl giggled, and Kristoff chuckled before he set her back down onto the floor so that she could return to play with her others. He watched them all for a moment before he folded his arms over his broad chest once again and looked over at Anna, a soft smile lingering on his lips.

“I wondered where you had disappeared to,” he told her.

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but one of the other girls answered him on her behalf. 

“We’re having a tea party,” she explained – though there was a hint of an eye-roll in her tone – and Anna nodded her head at him.

“Yes, well – I was going to tell you, but apparently this was a very urgent matter, and we absolutely did not have the time to stop and talk to boys about where we were going,” Anna explained.

“That’s exactly right,” added one of the other girls, and Kristoff chuckled again.

“Really?” he commented as he raised a brow. “Well, guess I better get out of here, then, if you can’t stop to talk to boys about -”

The girls all spoke at once, again.

“No!”

“Kristoff, come and play with us!”

“You’re invited, Kris, you’re not a real boy!”

Anna smiled knowingly up at him as she cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, Kris,” she joined in. “Why don’t you stay and play with us?”

Kristoff offered her a lopsided smile even as he playfully rolled his eyes, but he relaxed his shoulders and pushed himself away from the doorway all the same. The girls squealed collectively as he stepped further into the room.

“Alright, alright,” he said. “If you insist.”

“You can sit there, Kris, next to Anna – oooh, let me get you a party hat to wear!”

.

.

.

Eventually, they made it back to Kristoff’s cabin at some point in the early hours. It was only a ten minute drive or so away from the development – Kristoff had told her that he purchased the land because it was a perfect distance away from his family; close enough so that they could visit him whenever he wanted, but out of the way enough that he - _they_ \- could still have a little privacy.

As much as she had wanted him – he really had looked so handsome tonight, in his casual clothes with a lopsided smile – Anna was exhausted, and her eyes had already started to droop to a close on the drive over. Kristoff had chuckled as he opened the door to the truck for her, and he had pulled her into his arms and carried her inside.

“You don’t have to do that,” she had laughed, although she had looped her arms around the back of his neck despite the weak protest.

“I want to, though,” he told her, and Anna had sighed happily.

Kristoff had placed her softly in his bed and pressed a quick kiss to the back of her hand before he left her wrapped up in his duvet. 

“I’ll be right back,” he had murmured before he left, and Anna knew that he would have gone to let Sven out before locking up. She quickly discarded her clothes, and she would have usually reached over into his drawer to grab at least a t-shirt, but she was so tired that she simply flopped back down onto the bed in just her underwear and the necklace that she never wanted to remove.

Her mind had just started to drift into a dream when she had felt the other side of the mattress dip underneath the weight of him, and Anna sought out the warmth of his bare chest without bothering to open her eyes. She sighed softly as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, and she hummed in approval when his lips grazed the top of her forehead.

“I had such a nice night, tonight,” she murmured against his chest, her fingernails raking against the dusting of blonde hairs that scattered across his golden skin. “It was so nice to finally meet all of your family. Thank you.”

Anna snuggled her head further into the crook of his neck as she spoke, and she inhaled deeply, drinking in the lingering scent of his aftershave and shower gel. From where she was pressed against him, Anna could clearly hear the rhythmic beating of his heart beneath the muscular plane of his chest, and she curled her toes in pleasure as she wrapped one of her legs between both of his.

“Thank _you_ ,” he responded, his voice soft and gentle and deep in the darkness of his bedroom. “They all loved you. Especially the kids.”

Anna smiled at that – she had a feeling that his family had liked her, but she hadn’t wanted to assume, and it was nice to hear it from him.

Despite the fact that she had almost been lulled to sleep by the feel of his heartbeat and the warmth of his body, Anna’s eyes opened wide as a thought came into her head that she couldn’t shake. She bit down on her lip as she debated asking him. It wasn’t something that they had ever discussed before, but she was curious to know what he thought about it all, and she couldn’t resist the urge to ask him.

Anna rolled a little so that she was no longer buried in his neck, and she pressed herself up on the mattress with one of her forearms so that she could have a better view of his handsome face. Kristoff cracked open one of his honey brown eyes at the movement, and she cleared her throat before she spoke.

“Do you -” she began, and then sighed. She really _was_ tired. “Have you ever – I –”

Kristoff chuckled. “Spit it out,” he teased her as he raised one of his hands to the ends of her wavy red hair, and he tugged gently on the strands.

Anna rolled her eyes at him before she tried again.

“Do you want children, someday?” she asked, and the words rushed out of her mouth so quickly that Anna wasn’t sure whether he would have actually understood her, or whether they would have sounded like one big slurred jumble; but then his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise, and Anna knew that he had heard her question just fine. 

Kristoff removed his fingers from the ends of her hair and brought his large palm up to cup her face, and he trailed his calloused thumb over the soft skin of her cheek repeatedly before he answered her. His hand was warm, and his touch was as comforting as always, and Anna couldn’t resist the urge to lean into him.

“Of course I do,” he told her, and Anna smiled in relief.

_Why are you making this out to be such a big deal?_

She knew _exactly_ why - especially after seeing him around the kids tonight - but she was hardly going to admit it to herself. Not when they had only been dating for eight months.

It was far too soon to be having these kinds of thoughts.

Right?

Anna smiled at his nonchalant response.

“How many?” she asked him, the smile on her face light and playful despite the seriousness that lay beneath her questions. 

Kristoff huffed out another laugh as the pad of his thumb brushed over the swell of her bottom lip.

“As many as you’ll give me,” he told her with a sleepy grin, the light of the moonlight in his bedroom lighting up the harsh, masculine line of his jaw and chin; and the answer fell from his lips with such casual ease that Anna wondered whether he knew what he had just said to her, whether he understood what it meant.

He had closed his eyes again – clearly tired, too – and Anna bit down on her lip as she studied him for a few more beats before she spoke again.

“When you think about having children,” she started again, her voice lower, now, and Kristoff looked at her through heavy lids once again. “Do you think about... me?”

Kristoff’s expression softened and his tense body relaxed beneath her as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed his fingers against her jaw. He looked at her for what felt like forever, and Anna could barely breathe in anticipation when he finally nodded his head. “Yes,” he murmured, and she sighed against him.

“Good,” she replied, and she lowered her head so that she was settled against the warmth of his bare chest once again. Anna nuzzled her nose along the column of his throat and placed a tender kiss to his skin before she closed her eyes once more. “That’s good.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hans is awful, and even after all this time, he's hardly just going to let these two get on with their lives without further comment from him - especially when he's drunk at stupid o'clock in the morning. 
> 
> And Kristoff is a) a man, b) a boxer and c) Kristoff : there's only so many times he can be soft about this guy before he loses his temper about it all. But, you know, he's still perfect, so *shrugs*
> 
> Enjoy!

“Please tell me that this isn’t happening right now, Kristoff. _Please_. I’m not – I can’t - we aren’t seriously arguing about my ex-boyfriend.”

From where he stood across from her – a scowl on his face that made him look older than his twenty five years and his large hands clenched into tight fists that hovered by his waist – Kristoff huffed out a short breath and rolled his eyes. 

“Apparently, we are,” he said, and Anna’s stomach dropped.

Anna had known that Kristoff was stubborn and a little hot-headed – she recalled the way in which he had ran so early on, after the whole _prince fisticuffs_ scenario, and the way in which he had physically thrown Hans out of his dressing room – and she could be both of those things, too; so she had known that an argument between them would never be fun. 

It was sure to happen, of course – it wasn’t normal to not have disagreements in a relationship – but it hadn’t been something that she had particularly looked forward to.

Still – she hadn’t thought for a moment that they would be arguing like this because of _him_.

“Kristoff,” she sighed, and her shoulders sagged a little as she spoke. 

Kristoff shuffled backwards in order to step away from her, effectively putting more distance between the two of them, and Anna immediately tensed at the sight. Just another few steps, and he’d be out of the doorway of his bedroom and onto the hallway.

Would he run away from her again, like he had done all those months ago?

This wasn’t how Anna had planned to spend their Sunday morning together. Kristoff’s first fight of the new season was still a while away yet, and although his training schedule had intensified in preparation, he still had weekends off; and she had intended to lounge around with him all day and do absolutely nothing at all.

Well, perhaps not _nothing_.

“Fine!” she snapped, her voice a little louder than she originally intended as her temper flared. “If you want to act so – so _childish_ about all of this, then be my guest.”

“Childish?” he balked, and there was that eye-roll again. “Anna, he just begged you to take him back on a fucking _livestream_ -”

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. “So what?” Anna huffed, and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively as Kristoff let out a barking laugh.

“So what? _So what?_ Are you – he – Anna, he just made me look like a fucking _idiot_ in front of the entire world, that’s what, and I -”

“Fuck him!”

Kristoff’s mouth closed immediately at the sound of her cursing – or perhaps it was more the fact that she had yelled; her voice so loud and filled with hate and frustration. 

Anna’s chest heaved dramatically as she inhaled and exhaled at a rapid rate, and her nostrils flared whilst she narrowed her eyes and glared furiously across the bedroom at her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend, her _Kristoff_ ; who was the kindest, sweetest, most honourable man that she had ever known -

But who was also a _fool_.

Kristoff remained stoic and silent from where he stood across the bedroom, and although his own dark eyes were wide in surprise still, the rest of his body evidently coursed with anger. His broad shoulders were tense, his fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles were white, and the line of his jaw was hard. He didn’t break eye contact with her, though he didn’t open his mouth to speak again; and Anna wondered over whether he had sensed that she had more to say on the matter.

She inhaled another deep breath before she continued.

“I mean it, Kristoff,” she said. Angry tears pricked in her light eyes, but Anna refused to let them fall.

She would _not_ shed another tear over that awful man; not when she was so happy, now.

“Fuck. Him. I’ve wasted so many tears on him, so much of my time on him, so much of my _breath_ just talking about him, and I’m sick and tired of it. This is a man that I dated for a couple of weeks over a year ago, and I've not been able to hear the end of it ever since! Do you know how _exhausting_ that is?”

She sighed before she jutted out her chin in defiance. 

“I would be more than happy if I went the rest of my life without hearing the name ‘Hans Westergaard’ ever again.”

Kristoff remained tense, but at least he didn’t roll his eyes this time.

Small victories.

She knew that his anger was misplaced – that he was furious with Hans and frustrated with the situation and irritated that there was absolutely nothing he could do to fix it – and although it certainly wasn’t okay for him to take his anger out on her, there was a small part of her that understood the way that he felt because it wasn’t dissimilar to her own feelings.

Sarcasm laced through his voice as he responded. 

“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” he said. “That asshole clearly isn’t going to leave us alone. He’s not going to just – just fucking _disappear_ , Anna. He’ll keep coming, and coming, and coming; and I’m - I’ll -”

His fists clenched and unclenched by his sides, and frustration bubbled within her once more as she shook her head at him in disbelief. 

“You’ll what?” Anna asked incredulously. “What are you going to do, Kristoff? Punch him? Knock him clean out?”

She winced as the angry words fell from her tongue. Hans had already made plenty of digs about Kristoff and his lifestyle on his - clearly drunken - livestream; the last thing that she needed to do was poke at him about it, too, especially when she didn’t even mean it. But she was growing more and more irritated by him, now, and the words had slipped from her mouth before she could stop them.

Kristoff inhaled a shaky breath and narrowed his eyes. 

“Really?” he asked, raising his brows. “ _Really_ , Anna? What – do you want me to tell you all the details of what I’d like to do to him if I got the chance? Is that what you want?”

Anna dropped her hands down by her sides and slumped her upper body in defeat. “Kristoff, come on -”

“Is that why you want to keep me around?” he pressed, anger and hurt clouding his expression. “What, do you hope that maybe one day, I'll get to do just that?”

“Kristoff -”

“What am I to you? Some kind of lap dog that you get to keep on a leash -”

“Kris -”

“- let me off, and then give me a treat for doing your dirty work -”

“Kristoff!”

He stopped, then, seemed to snap out of it. Kristoff’s eyes widened and his jaw relaxed as he looked over at her, and as his broad chest heaved up and down dramatically, the only sound that could be heard in the room was their panted breaths.

A few stray tears had fallen down her cheeks at his bitter words, and Anna raised her hands to bat them away quickly. She didn’t want to cry, but she was just so _mad_ at him, and for the first time, Anna started to question whether he was really happy with her at all.

Kristoff’s expression softened at her tears, and he moved his body as if he was going to step forwards, though he seemed to think better of it and remained where he was. 

“Anna -”

“Don’t,” she said, and she hated the way that her voice broke with the word, hated how weak she sounded in that moment, but she was so hurt and angry and upset; and despite the fact that she knew she would find comfort in his arms – knew that he would allow it – she fought the urge to run to him and bury her head in his chest.

This was what Hans had wanted all along, she knew; and she had fought tooth and nail not to give it to him, but Kristoff seemed to have come to the end of his tether, and Anna didn’t know where they were going to go from here or how they were going to deal with it.

All she knew was that right now, she needed some time to think - _alone_.

“Please, Kristoff, I just – I – leave me alone. Please.”

Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, and Kristoff regarded her for a minute more with those warm, brown eyes before he heaved out a sigh and nodded his head. His mouth opened and closed several times before he gave up on whatever it was that he had wanted to say to her, and his eyes danced over her face one last time before he stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Once the door had shut with a loud click, the sob that Anna had been holding back whilst Kristoff was in the room crawled its way out of her throat; a strangled, unfamiliar sound so full of hurt and pain. She stumbled into his bed and buried her head into one of his pillows as her body shook with the tears that flowed freely down her face, and she found that she was equally begrudged and comforted by the overwhelming smell of him on the sheets.

.

.

.

Anna woke to the feel of thick, gentle fingers running through the strands of her hair, and she hummed in approval. She hadn’t fully returned from sleep, yet; hadn’t remembered the events from before, and so she leaned into the touch with a happy smile, and she practically purred when blunt fingernails began to rake over her scalp.

The sound of his deep voice calling her name lulled her into consciousness, and Anna’s eyes blinked open in confusion as the bitter words that had been said in their argument earlier that day came flooding back to her.

She had been lay face-down in his pillow, and Anna moved to push herself upright on her forearms; though she winced a little as she realised that her head was pounding violently. It was the kind of headache that came after a good cry, and as Kristoff dropped his hand from her hair, Anna raised both of her hands and rubbed her fingers against either side of her temple.

“Hey,” he murmured, voice soft and gentle and uncertain, and Anna chanced a glance up at him.

“Hi,” she responded, though her voice was thick from sleep, and she cleared her throat as a result.

He looked – well, she knew for a fact that he looked an awful lot better than she did. There was no snot trickling from his nose, no bright cheeks or red, puffy rings around his eyes; but he did look so full of regret, and his bottom lip was chapped from where his teeth had worked away at it.

She knew the decision he had made, and she felt her heart shatter in her chest.

“Anna,” he started; and it was so silly, really, but the sound of him saying her name like that – so soft and gentle and tender – caused fresh tears to pull at her eyes, and she couldn’t take it, couldn’t face him, couldn’t let him give up on her and them so easily.

She still wore his necklace – never took it off, nowadays – and the weight of it around her neck was a constant reminder that she was still his.

She had told him always, and god, she had meant it.

“Please, don’t do this,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper; and Anna didn’t dare to look up at him any longer out of fear that his pained expression would cause her to snap. She would beg him to stay, but she didn’t want to cry anymore. 

She dropped one of her hands to the necklace and clutched it tightly, ran her fingers over the swirled _k_ and attempted to steady her voice. 

“Please don’t leave. I can’t - I know that I shouldn’t have pushed you, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to go -”

Kristoff was sitting on the bed, his back pressed against the headboard, and Anna felt him twist his upper body so that he could bring both of his hands to her face and cup her jaw. Despite herself, a few fat tears had fallen down her cheeks; and his thumbs made quick work of wiping them away.

“Anna - what are you talking about?” he stuttered, the words rushed. Anna felt the way his hands trembled ever so slightly against her face, and she chanced a glance up at his face.

Genuine confusion was written all over his masculine features, and he sounded a little panicked when he spoke again. 

“I’m not – _fuck_ , Anna, I’m not leaving you.”

She tilted her chin slightly so that she could look at him better, and Anna raised a hand to her nose as she sniffed.

“You’re not?” she asked, surprised.

“I - _no_. Why would you – of course not,” he told her, and then his large palms fell from her face and pressed softly against her upper arms. “Come here,” Kristoff instructed as his fingers nudged against her skin, and Anna scrambled upright so that she could crawl into her lap, and her entire body relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Anna focused on steadying her breathing as she buried her face into the crook of his neck whilst his fingers tickled through the ends of her hair.

She had been so certain that he would be done, that he was going to finally break and leave her. She’d seen the hurt and confusion and anger in his eyes at her words, earlier; and she had been so certain the Kristoff wouldn’t be able to do this anymore, that he would be sick and tired for the fuss and the drama that she brought into his life, and although she had been prepared to beg him to stay, she had also been prepared for him to walk away for good.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he rested his chin on top of her head. “Fuck, Anna, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled, I shouldn’t have – I didn’t mean it, any of it. I just -” he let out a shaky breath as Anna wrapped her fingers in the collar of his black t-shirt, and he pulled his muscular arms tighter around her. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” she replied, and Kristoff placed a kiss to her head.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” he murmured against her, his stubble tickling her hairline. “I was being a jerk, and I was pissed, and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. None of this is your fault.”

Anna nuzzled impossibly closer to him. “I am sorry, though,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry that I’ve - that I’ve messed up your life. I know that you didn’t want any of this – any of the attention or the stupid headlines. I know that they goad you, I know you hate it that they call you prince fisticuff’s and I know that Hans won’t stop goading you, too; and it’s all my fault that he’s still running with it, because if I wasn’t a princess then you could actually do something about it -”

“Hey,” he said, faint laughter in his voice, and he pulled himself back slightly so that he could look down at her. “I mean it, Anna, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. It’s not your fault that journalists are vultures who are on our case all the time. Really, it’s Elsa’s fault, ‘cause she’s the future queen, and if she’d just get a move on and - I don’t know, get engaged to Honey - then it would take a lot of heat off of us for a while.”

Anna let out a little giggle at his teasing tone, and she sighed as she settled her head against his chest again. She closed his eyes as she nuzzled into his shirt, and she relaxed into him as he continued to run his fingers through her hair whilst his chest rumbled as he spoke.

“And it’s not your fault that Hans is an asshole, either.”

“I know, but -”

“There’s no buts about it,” he said. “I’m - I’m just sorry, Anna.” 

His lips brushed against her forehead again, and he removed his hand from her hair so that he could trace the line of her jaw with his fingers and tilt her chin up towards him. 

“I’m crazy about you, and I’m just so in love with you, and I know that I’m no good at this – at any of it – but I’m trying.”

Anna smiled at that. “I know,” she murmured, and she released the collar of his shirt so that she could rest her palm against the back of his neck. “I love you, too, Kris; you make me so happy, and I don’t want him to ruin this.”

She had thought that he was going to kiss her, but Kristoff brushed his lips tentatively over her damp cheeks, instead; and Anna sighed as she leaned against the featherweight feel of his mouth. “I’m not going to let him take you from me,” she continued, and Kristoff nudged his nose against her own.

“You’re crazy,” he said, his lips quirked up in the ghost of a smile. “I’m not going anywhere. I told you, you’re my girl now – remember?” he asked; and his large fingers danced over the pendant that hung from her neck, as though she needed even more of a reminder of who she belonged to.

Anna nodded her head as she swallowed thickly, and despite the dull headache that lingered behind her eyes, she felt a familiar heat stir within her at his possessive words and the dark look in his eyes.

He lowered his chin towards her own at a painfully slow rate, and Anna waited until his eyelashes had fluttered closed before she breathed out a soft _I’m yours_ against him; and within seconds, his mouth was on hers. He pressed himself against her in a kiss that was urgent and passionate and full of want, and Anna smiled against him as she returned his kiss with equal fervour.

She meant what she had said: there was no way that she was going to allow Hans the opportunity to come between them, not after all of this time. Kristoff had stuck by her through the ridiculous drama and the intense glare of the media and the constant looming presence of wondering what her pathetic excuse of an ex-boyfriend was going to say next for the past nine months that they had been together (eleven months, actually, since a lot of the scrutiny had begun before he had even asked her to be his girlfriend), and Anna was sick of sitting around and doing – and saying – nothing about it.

Hans wasn’t going to go away by himself, and the issue needed to be dealt with, and fast.

Kristoff lowered her down onto to the bed and effectively pinned her against the mattress, and before Anna became far too distracted by the feel of him placing wet kisses down the column of her throat, she made a promise to herself that she would go to her father first thing tomorrow and discuss the issue at hand; and she would not drop the issue again until they found a solution.

And if her father and his advisors couldn’t come up with a reasonable way to deal with him – well, then Anna would be left with no choice but to let Kristoff take matters into his own hands.

 _Literally_.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up that this chapter is mostly pwp!

Anna had no idea how they ended up on his bedroom floor.

She didn’t mind at all, though, even if it was cool and hard against her back; she didn’t care for anything in the world other than the feel of his hot mouth against her own. Anna gasped as his large palms moved to squeeze the plump flesh of her ass, and she moaned in approval as he dug his nails deep into her cheeks and used them to tug her flush against the naked, hard length of his cock.

They had quickly shed their clothes between wet kisses – come to think of it, that had been how they had ended up here, after Anna had rolled over whilst Kristoff pulled off her t-shirt, and although he had caught her when she was halfway off the mattress, she had grabbed at his biceps and pulled him down to the floor with her anyway.

What had been soft, excited giggles turned into low, wanton moans, and Anna writhed beneath his touch as he pawed at her body. She no longer felt the need to question the arousal that stirred within her belly when Kristoff’s fingernails gripped deeply into her flesh – hard enough to bruise – nor did she struggle over the way in which her clit throbbed in response to his less than careful ministrations.

It wasn’t always like this with him, of course; and Anna enjoyed sex all the same when Kristoff was gentle, when he caressed her and moved softly against her, when he would take his time with her and drag out each thrust of his hips so that it was slow and sensual and full of care. Still, she loved when he was rough with her, too – when he became like this, as though a switch had been flipped deep within him.

Sometimes, Anna could swear that she was looking right at the man who she saw fighting in the ring, and the sight of that wild glint in his eyes thrilled her like nothing else ever had.

There was usually always a reason why he was like this with her, though – usually, it had to do with the fact that she had teased him relentlessly throughout the course of the day; had built him up so much that by the time that they were finally alone, he gave into his primal urges and completely lost himself in his lust. 

Today, though, the reason behind his frantic, desperate demeanour had little to do with Anna’s teasing and everything to do with her ex-boyfriend's pathetic - and very public - attempt to convince her to take him back.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Kristoff had never seemed particularly jealous of Hans; but there really was no reason for him to ever be, and although she knew that his general being bothered him, sometimes – especially when journalists pitted them against each other, Prince Charming vs Prince Fisticuff’s - she had never been inclined to believe that his dislike towards her ex-boyfriend was anything intense.

That wild glint in his eyes made Anna wonder just how much Kristoff really hated him.

She was pinned beneath his muscular arms on the floor of his bedroom, and he had aligned her body against his so that he was positioned in between her slick folds. Anna’s eyes fluttered to a close as she felt the head of his cock brush against her clit, and he hissed as he ground his hips and firmly slid over the outline of her wet heat with ease.

“Kristoff, please -”

“Wanna taste you,” he interrupted, and Anna had barely even processed his words when he dipped his head to her chest and flicked his tongue over one of her nipples, the sudden sensation causing her to moan loudly in surprise. 

Her heart pounded within her chest as he shimmied his way down her body, and although it meant that his cock was taken away from her, Anna’s legs trembled all the same with the anticipation of what was to come. He left behind a trail of wet kisses, darkened skin and nipped flesh from her nipples down to her pelvis; and Anna let out a long, loud moan as his hot breath danced over her slit.

Kristoff’s large hands snaked around her waist, and he put enough pressure on her that when her hips instinctively bucked from his teasing, she didn’t actually move.

“You want me to?” he asked her, and Anna nodded her head vigorously in confirmation, coherent thought evading her as he let out another long breath – this time, right over her clit. “I can’t hear you.”

“ _Yes_ ,” she answered, and she tried – and failed – to writhe around underneath his hands.

He was so close to her that she couldn’t help but try, for if he just eased his hold on her hips ever so slightly, then Anna would be able to lift her ass into the air from the floor and finally connect his mouth with her dripping core –

Kristoff tutted as he nudged his nose against the inside of her thighs, and a needy, frustrated whine escaped her throat at the realisation that he had moved his mouth away from her when he had been so close.

“You don’t sound like you mean it, Anna,” he said, and he sounded almost _disappointed_. “Why don’t we try that again: do you want me to taste you?”

A few months ago – hell, maybe even a few weeks ago – Anna would have blushed at his crude words. Now, she accepted the way her clit pulsed in excitement and spread her legs a little wider.

“Yes, Kristoff, please,” she gasped. “I want you to, I want you to so badly, I -”

She stopped, then; didn’t need to continue with her babbled pleas since he happily obliged with her request, and Anna threw her head back against the floor as Kristoff used his firm tongue to lick the entire length of her slit from bottom to top. His hands remained firmly on her hips to hold her in place as he repeated the motion over and over and over again, and he grumbled into her wet folds as she continued her attempts to buck against his mouth.

“Fuck, Anna, stay still,” he told her, and the redhead gasped as he sucked harshly on her clit to emphasise his words.

It was instinct, to move this way against him; but he wanted her to keep still, and so she fought the urge to buck her hips and shuffle her legs for as long and as hard as she could, and she chose to focus instead on the way that his tongue felt as he swirled in small circles over her sensitive nub.

Even without the use of his fingers to penetrate her, Anna knew that it wouldn’t take long for Kristoff to pull her over the edge; and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut as he licked and sucked away at her cunt.

Anna had fought the urge to grab at him – hadn’t wanted him to stop, or tell her no – but she needed something to ground her as he worked her up to her release, needed something to keep her body here on earth so that she didn’t shatter into thin air; and so she snaked her hands into his thick mop of blonde hair and tugged hard on the strands, pulling his face impossibly tighter against her.

He nosed at her clit before he sucked firmly on it in response to her movements, and Anna almost sobbed in relief as she came into his mouth.

As her chest heaved up and down dramatically whilst she rode out the waves of her release, Kristoff removed his head from between her limp thighs and sat up on his knees before her. He let go of her hips and brought the backs of one of his palms up to his face so that he could wipe the remnants of her away from his mouth and chin, and the action reminded her of the first time that they’d been in this position.

Anna had thought that Kristoff might settle somewhat by having her orgasm before him, but as she looked up into his lust-blown eyes, she could still make out that wild glint; and the thought of what he was going to do to her next caused her to bite down on her bottom lip. His dark eyes followed the movement, and he heaved out a breath before he towered over her once more; his hands placed on either side of her head in order to support his weight.

He looked at her for a moment longer, and although Anna saw no softness in his eyes, she knew that all she would have to do was summon him – nudge him away, shake her head or say no - and he would return; her soft, gentle Kristoff, the man who loved her and cherished her, the man who handled her with such care and tender love.

But she wanted this part of him; wanted the rough and the wild and the desperate, wanted the unrivalled passion and the heated lust that he brought, and she wanted him to take her like this, spread out before him – pliant and willing – on his bedroom floor.

Not like a princess at all.

“I’m gonna fuck you, now,” he said, and then he was buried deep inside of her in one single, quick thrust; the mixture of her arousal and his saliva serving as lubricant to ease his entry.

Without warning, Kristoff let his head fall harshly to the column of her throat, his face pressed tightly against the necklace that hung there. 

He let out a low moan against her skin before he began to pound into her with earnest, his thrusts clumsy and lacking any identifiable rhythm as he pounded her against the hard floor. Anna’s mouth fell open, but no whimpers or moans left her throat; instead, she gasped and sighed in pleasure and revelled in the sound of his naked flesh smacking against her own with each thrust.

At some point, her eyes had squeezed tightly to a close once again, but they widened dramatically when Kristoff suddenly withdrew himself from her. She barely even got the chance to whimper at the loss of his cock, however, because she was instead focused on the way in which he effortlessly flipped her body in his hands so that she lay flat on her stomach.

Kristoff’s hands moved to grip her ass cheeks once again, and then he used them to shift her quickly into the air. Despite the surprised squeak that escaped her mouth, Anna went willingly onto her hands and knees before him, and she sighed in pleasure as he lined his cock up at her entrance once more.

She was caught off guard when he didn’t plunge inside of her immediately, and she waited for a few seconds before she lifted her head. Anna’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her own blue eyes peering right back at her – she had completely forgotten about the floor-length mirrors of his wardrobe, and now, she really did blush.

Kristoff’s dark eyes met with her own in the mirror, and Anna thought of how huge he looked behind her; this large man with his golden skin and broad shoulders, taught biceps and defined abdomen; and she couldn’t see his cock for the tip of it was teasing her entrance, but she knew that it was a glorious sight to behold, as well.

One of his hands remained at her ass whilst the other began to tickle its way up the length of her back, and Anna almost cooed at the feeling. His thick fingers found purchase in her hair, and he slowly began to wrap the wavy strands around his wrist.

“What are you, Anna?” he asked her.

The redhead’s light blue eyes widened in surprise at his question, and she blinked at him in the mirror, uncertainty written all over her features. He had never asked this of her before, and in all truth, she wasn’t quite sure what he meant, didn’t know where on earth he was going with this, and –

 _Oh_.

Of course.

Anna swallowed thickly before she answered. 

“I’m your girl, Kris,” she said, and although her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, she spoke the words loud and clear. “I’m yours.”

“Good girl,” he grinned in approval, and then he was inside of her once more.

This time, Anna did shriek and moan and whine as he fucked into her from behind; and she gasped loudly when Kristoff pulled at the hair that he had wrapped around his wrist. Her eyes remained open as he yanked her hair back, and she didn’t miss the way in which the muscles of his biceps tensed and flexed as he pulled her head further back towards him.

She cried out when the fingers which had been buried in her ass cheek snaked around her waist so that they could pinch her engorged clit, and Anna’s thighs trembled violently as Kristoff pulled her further and further upright until her back was positioned against his sweat-soaked chest.

Now, she rested only on her knees before him.

No longer needing to use her hands to support her weight on the floor, Anna snaked her slender fingers around one of his forearms and dug her nails into his flesh. It was risky, really – Kristoff was always so careful not to mark her where anyone had the potential to see it – but she didn’t _care_ , and she grinned wickedly when he thrust his hips impossibly harder against her and brought his lips to her ear.

“You’re mine, Anna,” he told her as he pounded into her, his fingers still dancing over her swollen clit, and although it was impossible to freely move her head due to the tight hold that he had of her hair, Anna nodded it as enthusiastically as she could. “You hear me? Mine, and I - _shit_ , Anna, I’m gonna -”

Despite her usual shyness, Anna couldn’t take her eyes off his reflection, and she licked her lips at the sight of his jaw clenching as he focused on pounding into her. 

“ _God_ , Kris, do it,” she said, and there was a hint of euphoric laughter in her tone as his hips began to stutter. “Come for me, Kristoff, _please_ , I - I'm yours, I’m all yours -”

He groaned once more as he snapped his hips against her, and Kristoff’s resolve finally snapped as he spilled himself deep within her with a primal grunt. His thumb pressed down firmly onto her clit, and Anna gasped in pleasure as she tippled over the edge, too; and each pulse of her walls warmed her from the inside out.

She sagged against his chest – exhausted, and well and truly spent – and Kristoff removed his sticky fingers from her soaking folds so that he could use his forearm to support her weight and keep her upright.

They really were a sight to behold in the glass; both of their bodies covered in sweat, her hair damp and his mussed, a satisfied grin on her lips and a knowing smirk on his mouth. 

Kristoff brought his nose to the back of her neck and inhaled deeply before he began to litter an array of kisses over her shoulder; and once he was confident that she was steady, he finally released his hold on her so that he could remove his semi-hard cock from inside of her.

The evidence of his release quickly followed and began to pool onto the floor, though Kristoff just laughed when Anna scrunched her nose at the sight.

He slumped back against his bed, and Anna giggled as he reached for her waist and tugged her into his lap. 

He kept his dark eyes locked onto hers in the reflection of the mirror as he moved to press a chaste kiss to the underside of her jaw, and although it was so tempting to drink in the sight of his naked body from this angle, Anna couldn’t look away from him.

“I love you,” he breathed, and then he nuzzled against her sweaty skin. “You good?”

She laughed lightly at that and turned around in his arms so that she could finally look at him rather than his reflection. “Good?” she teased as she raised her hands to the nape of his neck. “I’m wonderful, Kristoff, I – I'm yours,” she beamed.

He had told her that, of course, many times by now; and she had told him, too, but never like _this_ , and Anna’s heart quickened in her chest as his eyes danced over hers. His lips parted as he eyed her carefully, and then he pulled her impossibly closer before he spoke once more.

“Stay with me,” he said, his voice a low murmur, and Anna smiled.

“You know I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

“No, Anna – I – here. Stay with me. _Here_. For good.”

The words surprised her, and Anna’s blue eyes widened as she regarded him curiously. “As in -”

“Come and live with me,” he finished for her. “I know - I know that it’s no castle, or manor, but it’s mine; and I – I know it sounds crazy, but I think that it can be _ours_ , if you want it to be -”

“It’s perfect,” she breathed, and her eyes brimmed with tears as she let out an elated laugh. “Oh, Kristoff, I – my god, I love you so much -”

He chuckled, then. 

“So that’s a yes?” he asked, and Anna moved her hands away from his neck so that she could cup his jaw.

“Yes, Kristoff, _yes_ , of course it’s a yes,” she laughed, and then she kissed him once more. He responded to her lips immediately, and Anna sighed happily against him.

Come tomorrow morning, she would have even more to discuss with her father, though there was a part of her that knew he had been waiting for this moment for a while, now. She had been so smitten with Kristoff since the very beginning; although even then, she would have never imagined that the initial lust and chemistry she felt towards him would ever snowball into this.

“I love you,” she sighed against him, “but - you definitely need a shower.”

Kristoff smirked at that. 

“Hey! I worked hard, okay,” he said, and Anna laughed. “Besides, you don’t smell so great, yourself,” he snorted, and Anna attempted to pout at him until he finished with, “care to join me?”

Anna’s interest piqued at that, and she raised a brow at him. 

“Are you kidding me?” she asked him, and she dropped her hands down to his chest so that she could push herself upright and away from him. “I’ll race you!”

“Hey!” he called after her as Anna scrambled out of the bedroom and down the hallway towards the main bathroom. Kristoff’s room had an en-suite, but the shower in the main bathroom was larger and wider and generally more accommodating for two bodies; and Anna giggled in delight at the sound of him rushing to follow her as she sprinted into the bathroom.

He managed to reach her quickly enough – just as she was about to step underneath the hot spray of water – and she shrieked loudly as Kristoff wrapped his muscular arms around her tiny waist and pulled her tightly against his damp chest.

“Caught you,” he breathed into her ear, and Anna’s giggles stopped abruptly as her eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and delight at the feel of him growing hard against her flesh.

_Again? Already?_

A devilish smile tugged at her lips as she tilted her chin up towards him, and that smile turned into a full-blown grin when he effortlessly hoisted her up into his arms and pressed her back against the tiled wall of the bathroom. It was cold against her skin, but the warm spray of the water helped to relax her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels into the top of his ass.

 _God_ , she couldn’t _wait_ to live with this man.


	29. Chapter 29

“Your Highness, _please_ , the King has explicitly stated that he does not wish to be disturbed this morning -”

“Kai, this is my _father_ , and I need to talk to him. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

From where he stood beside the door of her father’s office, Kai let out a deep, defeated sigh.

He didn’t position himself in front of the door in order to block her access to it like he might have done years before, when she was just a young girl; but Anna could see the battle in his eyes, could imagine his memories of easier times, when the princess had been little and therefore easier to control.

“Princess Anna -”

“Kai -”

The sound of the heavy door being pulled open caused the two of them to startle, and although Anna knew that it wasn’t very regal of her to feel smug at the sight of her father standing in the open doorway, she couldn’t help but feel at least slightly victorious. 

Kai had worked for the family for as long as she could remember, but unfortunately, a lot of Anna’s memories of him involved the older man trying to coax her away from her busy parents whilst they tended to their royal duties.

“Anna,” her father said, and although he spoke softly, she recognised his ’king’ tone immediately. “I couldn’t help but hear you. Is everything alright?”

The princess nodded her head in confirmation. She struggled to contain the excitement that coursed through her – ever since Kristoff had asked her to come and live with him, she had been floating around in a dream-like state, humming softly to herself as she absent-mindedly started to mentally arrange her belongings into piles of to take and to leave - and reminded herself that she also had the matter of her ex-boyfriend to discuss.

“Yes, everything’s fine. More than fine, actually, everything’s perfect, and so I – well, actually, that’s not true; most things are perfect, but some things aren’t fine, and – well – that's why I need to talk to you.”

Agnarr’s light eyes danced over towards where Kai was standing patiently waiting by the door before the King let out a sigh. Anna almost felt a little guilty for disturbing him, but this was important.

“Do we really have to discuss it right this minute, Anna?” he asked, and Anna cringed inwardly at his dismissive words. “I have some highly important documents to look into, and then -”

“Yes. We do need to discuss it. Right now.”

Agnarr regarded his youngest daughter for a moment – his expression completely blank – and Anna faltered. 

For as long as she could remember, she had been less of a priority than paperwork and diplomatic meetings and balls and parties and duty; and she understood that that was the sacrifice her father had to make, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t sting.

“Please? I – I'm not asking you as my King. I’m asking you as my father to talk to me about something that’s important to me. ”

Agnarr’s expression softened at her plea, and he sighed once more before he stepped to one side and made room for her in the doorway. 

“Come in, Anna,” he instructed, and Anna beamed as she stepped over the threshold and into his office.

.

.

.

“I want you to train me.”

Kristoff smirked at that.

She knew that he had been not only surprised to see her in the gym, but also to see her dressed ready to work out. Anna had never purchased gym clothes before since she had never been athletically inclined; but after this morning’s meeting with her father, she felt a strong urge to punch something, and luckily, she knew just the man who could help her with that.

So, Anna had stopped by a store on her way over to Oaken’s gym in order to purchase some appropriate clothing – luckily, the shop assistant had been more than willing to give her advice about what to choose – and Anna had changed into them, and she had even pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail to make a point of just how serious she was.

Anna had expected him to laugh at her request – after all, she was being a little dramatic; but he didn’t.

Instead, Kristoff cocked an eyebrow at her before he placed the weights that he had been lifting carefully down onto the gym mat that he was stood on, and Anna really did try not to ogle his sweat-damp biceps and focused on the words that came out of his mouth.

“I take it that the chat with your dad didn’t go so well,” he said, and there was no uncertainty in his tone or underlying question: it was like he already knew.

God, was she really that easy to read?

“I - yeah. Something like that,” Anna huffed as she folded her arms across her chest. “It wasn’t bad, I guess – just kind of... I don’t know. _Hopeless_.”

She had been looking down at her sneakers, but Anna looked up once more and focused her eyes on Kristoff so that she didn’t have the chance to catch a glimpse of her reflection in the floor-length mirrors that lined the gym. 

She felt somewhat self-conscious in the tight leggings and sports bra that she had purchased; and whilst she had always had a slender frame, she had always had a sweet tooth, too, and the workout clothes hugged her skin so tightly that the princess couldn’t help but be very aware of the curve of her soft abdomen.

Kristoff didn’t seem to notice it, though; and although he had been surprised when she first walked in, she recognised the burning desire that lingered in his gaze as his eyes raked up and down the full length of her, and Anna fought the blush that tickled her skin.

“Do you want to talk about?” he asked her, and Anna bit down on her lip as she thought about that for a moment before she eventually shook her head.

There wasn’t much to talk about – her father hadn’t been too helpful in regards to the ex-boyfriend situation, and his advice was generally _shut up and put up_ , but Anna was more than tired of that approach. It wasn’t working – hadn't worked since she dumped him over one year ago – but the King seemed to think that the young prince would grow tired of putting on a show and eventually leave his daughter and her new boyfriend alone.

“I’d rather punch something,” she murmured, and despite her mood, she couldn’t resist the curve of her lips at the sound of Kristoff’s laugh.

“That’s my girl.”

.

.

.

_“Alright, so you’re going to want -”_

_“Fuck, Anna -”_

_“No, no, no; not like_ that _, baby, like_ this _-”_

_“Jesus, you’ll break something if you’re not careful -”_

_“Shit! Are you okay? Did it hurt?”_

“Alright, that was good,” Kristoff said from where he stood behind her, and Anna chanced a sideways glance at him through the mirror and saw that he was smiling.

Finally.

It had taken them at least a good half an hour to get to this point. To begin with, he had taught her how to hold her first properly for a punch so that she didn’t break anything (which Anna didn’t even know was an actual thing, and she hadn’t entirely believed him, so he had googled it just to prove a point). Then, he had shown her how to stand properly – with her knees soft and her core tight; and although Anna had never necessarily thought that his job was easy, she hadn’t actually realised just how complicated and technical it was, either.

When she had watched him fight, it always looked as though everything came so very naturally to him that she had never questioned whether there was anything more to boxing other than talent. Kristoff was obviously big, which helped, but just by doing this with him she had started to realise just how much must be going through his mind during every fight; and she suddenly understood why Oaken teased her so much about distracting his star fighter.

Anna punched the centre of the bag again – a little bit more forcefully this time – and Kristoff chuckled from behind her. The redhead turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at him, and from where he was positioned behind her, Kristoff reached forward and pressed his large palm flat against her abdomen.

“Try that again, but this time, remember your frame,” he murmured into her ear, and Anna swallowed thickly as his fingers tickled over the exposed skin between the end of her sports bra and the start of her leggings.

Kristoff dropped his hand and stepped away from her so that his presence no longer surrounded her, and Anna nodded her head once and exhaled a quick breath before she moved forwards and punched the bag again; and this time, she remembered her frame.

“Better. Do it again – that's it! Alright, see if you can do it twice, now; alternate between your hands and – perfect!”

Anna couldn’t help her grin at his enthusiastic words and the hint of happy laughter that traipsed into his voice as Kristoff encouraged her to punch again and again and again. The princess followed his instructions until her arms were so sore that she didn’t think she could move them anymore - which didn’t take all that long, really - and then she dropped them weakly by her sides before she turned around to face him.

She was _exhausted_ , and she hadn’t even been doing this for all that long. Anna had no idea how on earth he kept up his stamina during fights with real people – she couldn’t even cope with a punching bag.

“Better?” he asked her, and Anna groaned as he placed his large palms on her biceps and gently rubbed the sore muscles there.

She let out a breathy laugh before she stepped a little closer to him and stood on her tiptoes so that she could carelessly throw her arms around his neck. Anna knew that she didn’t exactly smell delightful, but Kristoff didn’t seem to mind that at all as he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her impossibly tighter against his chest.

Although he didn’t lift her completely off the floor, his strong arms did take most of the weight of her, and Anna’s entire body sagged in relief against him.

“Much,” she nodded before she placed a quick, chaste kiss to his mouth; although her boyfriend seemed to have other ideas, and he bent his head so that he could chase her lips with his own.

.

.

.

By the time that the Range Rover parked outside of the cabin, it was late, and Anna swallowed thickly as she watched both of her parents inspect the building from where they were sat side-by-side in the front of the car. 

Elsa had chosen not to join them – _this is your moment, tonight,_ the blonde had said as she pulled her in for a tight hug, _I’ll come and see you both tomorrow_ \- and the extra space in the rear of the car had meant that they were able to bring a few more of Anna’s belongings with them.

Not everything actually fit in one trip, of course, and there were many bags waiting to be moved from her bedroom in the castle; but Anna had all of her essentials with her, and her parents had invited Kristoff for breakfast on Sunday morning, so Anna figured that they would be able to take most of her other things back with them, then.

Iduna turned her head over her shoulder and offered her daughter a soft smile.

“When you said cabin, I thought –” she began, but then stalled, and Anna shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

It wasn’t as though she could blame her parents for being surprised at her decision to leave the palace to go and live in Kristoff’s cabin, nor could she be shocked at what they probably imagined his ‘cabin’ would be like – after all, she had been equally surprised when she had first come to visit him here.

Still, it would have never mattered to her – not really. Kristoff could live in a shack in the woods that he had built with his own two hands and Anna would still live with him, if that was where he wanted to be.

So long as they were together, then the princess knew that nothing else would matter. 

Her father had balked at the idea of her leaving her home, and he had suggested several times that Kristoff move in with them at the palace, but Anna knew in her heart that her boxer wasn’t ready to give up this quiet life that he had always known just yet. Though he had had a troubled childhood and a rough start, he had lived a relatively normal life since he had been taken in by Bulda and Cliff; and Anna knew that he wasn't ready to fully embrace royalty and the lifestyle that came with it.

Besides, there was also a part of her that wanted this kind of life for herself, too. It was becoming much easier to imagine a future with Kristoff as the days went on – she found herself almost constantly day-dreaming of the two of them married, and happy, and with children of their own – and so she reasoned that it would do her some good to live independently for a while without having palace staff around to wait on her hand and foot.

As the three of them began to unload some of Anna’s bags from the car, the princess beamed when she heard the front door open and saw that Kristoff had emerged from inside. After their workout session earlier that morning, Anna had updated him about her conversation with her father; and although Kristoff had expressed his desire to want to do something about her nuisance of an ex-boyfriend, he didn’t have many ideas about what that something could be, which left them without many options at this point.

“Maybe your dad’s right,” he had whispered to her, much more rational about the situation now that he had cooled down since it all blew up again. “Maybe we should just let him keep embarrassing himself whilst we stay quiet.”

Kristoff typically lounged around shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants; but he had made a little bit of effort since he had known that her parents would be driving her over, and so he was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white t-shirt; and Anna watched him approach with a smile on her lips.

“Hey,” he grinned at her, and the redhead beamed as he took her bags from her hands, holding them in one of his own with ease despite the weight of them.

“Hello, Kristoff,” Iduna smiled from where she stood beside her daughter, and she appeared to be equally pleased when Kristoff offered to take the bags that she had been carrying, too. “Do you mind if Agnarr and I come in for a minute, before we leave?”

Kristoff shook his head no as he led the way up the steps to the porch of the cabin. “Of course not,” he said, and Anna was hot on his heels as she followed him closely; though her parents lagged behind, slightly, taking everything in. “Come on in.”

“You have a beautiful home,” Iduna smiled a few minutes later, once Agnarr and Kristoff had carried Anna’s bags to his - _their_ \- bedroom and they were gathered together in the kitchen. The Queen had taken a liking to Sven, and had been busy fussing over him whilst the men sorted out Anna’s things.

“Thank you,” Kristoff said from where he stood next to Anna.

She could tell from the way in which his fingers hovered and twitched that he was dying to touch her, like he always did – just small, casual displays of affection; like running his hand through her hair, or stroking the back of her palm, or pressing against the small of her back. She wanted him to touch her, too, but she knew he was holding back in front of her parents.

“It’s so quiet, here,” Anna commented as her eyes roamed over the large windows that displayed the wooden decking that led out into the garden area. “We’ll be able to have some more privacy, for a while.”

Kristoff smiled at that as he looked down at her, and Anna sighed happily. She was unable to resist the gravitational pull that she felt towards him, and she nudged ever so slightly closer towards him and intertwined their fingers, giving his hand a tight, reassuring squeeze as she did so.

“I can imagine,” Iduna nodded, and then Agnarr cleared his throat.

“It is beautiful,” he agreed with his wife’s earlier comment. “And I hope that you don’t mind me bringing this up,” he said, and Anna’s body tensed at the realisation that he had transitioned into _King mode_ , rather than _dad mode_. “But - well, Kristoff, I assume that, in the future, you intend to ask for my permission to marry my daughter.”

Kristoff swallowed thickly, and his fingers tensed against her knuckles before he jerked his head in a quick nod. They had spoken about a future together, of course, but Anna had never informed her parents of their intentions, and she blushed at her father’s direct words.

“And as Princess of Norway, it will be expected that Anna and whomever she decides to wed will be gifted a royal property from myself, as King,” Agnarr continued, and he raised a brow as his eyes danced between his daughter and her boyfriend from over the kitchen island. “I understand my daughter’s wish to live here with you – I have to say that I understand it even more now that I've seen it for myself,” he continued, and Anna smiled at that. “But if the two of you wish to progress with your relationship, then it’s certainly something that you must be aware of for the future.”

Anna squeezed Kristoff’s hand again, and the boxer nodded his head at the King. 

“I understand,” he said. “And I -” he began, his eyes wandering down to Anna before he looked back at her father. “I do. Want that, I mean. One day. But for now, I -”

“ _We_ ,” Anna interrupted with a nudge of her hip against his, and Kristoff chuckled.

“ _We_ just want some time and space away from the spotlight. Whilst we still can.”

Agnarr’s eyes softened as he regarded his daughter’s blissful expression, and Iduna smiled widely at them both.

“Well, then,” the King commented with a nod of his head. “I guess that’s that.”

Anna giggled as she leaned further into Kristoff. “Yes,” she said, smiling so widely that her cheeks began to hurt. “I guess it is.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the first part of this chapter was inspired by this beautiful art that I saw by minnothebunny on Tumblr -  
> https://minnothebunny.tumblr.com/post/190753505700/the-queen-and-her-lover
> 
> this one's kindaaaaaa long. thank u for baring with me hehe!

It doesn’t feel particularly real, at first.

Kristoff has spent so much of his adult life alone - and much of his early childhood, too, before Bulda and Cliff – that it was all that he had ever expected, in a way. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t thought – or wanted – to be with someone before, because there were lonely nights and empty beds and an ache in his chest that he sometimes couldn’t shake; but a relationship hadn’t necessarily been at the top of his list of priorities.

The plan had been simple enough: take boxing seriously, win some fights, earn a bit of money, pay off his parents’ mortgage and retire.

Until Anna.

Kristoff had made a bigger name for himself in the boxing world than he had ever expected to, and he had earned a hell of a lot more money than he had expected to as well. Whilst Oaken had always encouraged him, had told him that he was better than good, that he had real potential, even he had been surprised at the attention that Kristoff’s winning streak had brought him.

Record-breaking contracts and sponsorship deals and televised post-fight interviews had never been in Kristoff’s plan, but here he was.

A princess had never been in the pipeline, either, he supposed.

He’s used to her company now, after eleven months of dating, and she had spent so much time with him at his cabin since she seemed to sense that he was never truly comfortable when he was at the castle. Anna had stayed over so frequently in the last few weeks, and it felt as though she belonged here, anyway; and so Kristoff had naturally assumed that living with her wouldn’t be all that different from what they had been doing already.

He had been wrong.

It had taken him a few days to adjust to the small yet significant changes that her constant presence in the cabin brought; like the way that her clothes fill out the drawers and much of the wardrobe (both of which had previously been sparse), or the way that her bright pink toothbrush sits beside his, and the floral scented shampoos and coloured razors that run along the side of the bathtub. She brought make-up with her, too - lots of it, as well as perfumes, although she abandoned them all in one of the spare bedrooms and had commented on how it would do nicely as a dressing room.

All that Kristoff can do is watch her float around this space with parted lips and wide eyes as she so effortlessly makes his house her home.

“How do you do it?” he asked her late one evening, when they were tangled up in one another; the pair of them naked, him with his head resting against the headboard, her straddled over his waist with one small hand resting around his bare chest whilst her fingers teased over the fair hairs there, the other hand smoothing through the mussed strands of hair on his head.

She was the image of unrivalled beauty as she hovered above him; red hair wavy and wild from their earlier activities, freckled cheeks darkened with a pink blush and up-turned lips swollen from his kisses. The blankets pooled around her and the light from above her lit her up in a way that made him swallow thickly, and Kristoff couldn’t have kept his hands from her skin if he had tried, and so one large palm rested on the smooth skin of her thigh whilst the other lingered on her hip, holding her steady.

Anna had cocked her head to one side at his words, and she removed the hand that had been messing with his hair so that she could stroke her index finger lazily over his nose and down to his lips.

“Do what?” she asked him softly, the hint of a smile still on her lips.

”This,” he said, and he squeezed her bare hip for emphasis as he looked up at her, hoping that she could see the words that he couldn’t say in his eyes. He didn’t know how to explain it to her, and his fingers wandered over the faded marks of womanhood that kissed the skin of her hip. “You just – you fit here so easily.”

Her eyes softened at his words, and Anna slowly exhaled before she lowered herself down, pressing her front against his own as she tucked her head underneath his chin. Kristoff removed his hand from her thigh so that he could pull the covers over her in order to keep her warm, and he adjusted the angle of his arm so that he could stroke his fingers up and down the length of her back. His bitten down nails raked gently over her skin, and Anna purred contentedly.

“I don’t know,” she murmured as her lips brushed against the skin of his chest, and she nuzzled impossibly closer to him. “It’s just – it sounds silly. And maybe clingy. And needy. Super lovesick, as well,” she breathed out a laugh, “but wherever you are, I want to be there, too.”

Kristoff bent his head slightly so that he could place a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I never planned for this, you know,” he admitted. “But it’s not – trust me, Anna, the feeling is more than mutual. It’s not... clingy. And I can’t imagine my life without you in it, anymore.”

A smirk teased at her lips at his words, and Anna tilted her chin to look up at him; her spine arched beneath his palm. 

“Yeah?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper, and Kristoff chuckled as he stole a chaste kiss.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “I love you. I want to be wherever you are, too.”

Her nose crinkled at that, and she regarded him for a moment before she spoke again, voice impossibly lower. 

“Even if it’s in some grand mansion that my father insists that we live in?” she pressed, and now it was her turn to leave unspoken words for him to decipher.

No matter how much Kristoff was sure that Anna was the one for him, he knew that it was too soon to talk seriously about marriage: they hadn’t even been dating for a year, yet, and he had a feeling that even that was a little quick – even by royal standards.

And maybe in another world, another lifetime, then Kristoff would have asked her anyway; but life as he knew it had already changed so much, and he knew that an engagement – and a wedding – would change things even more. There would be titles, official engagements, fancy balls, royal tours and PR moves as well as giving up his career and his home and the little privacy that she still had left.

Anna was able to do all of those things with effortless charm and grace, but she had been raised in this world that he knew next to nothing about, and Kristoff had committed himself to her a long time ago, but he needed more time to adjust before he could fully commit himself to everything else.

Kristoff let out a sigh before he answered. 

“Even if it’s in a _palace_ , Anna,” he told her, and he meant it – if she wouldn’t have been able to come and stay with him, then he would have gone to her in a heartbeat.

He was thankful when she leaned forward to silence any other words he might have had, the feel of her lips against his own a blissful distraction.

“You’re kind of romantic, you know,” she grinned against his mouth.

Kristoff scoffed at that. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said, and then his lips were on hers again.

.

.

.

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to pull out?” Kristoff asked as he tugged on his sweatpants. “Just say the word, and I'll fake an injury.”

His tone was teasing, but he meant it, too; though Anna just laughed from where she was positioned in the centre of his bed – their bed (he was still getting used to that) – as she shook her head from side to side. Sven was curled up beside her, on top of the duvet, and he looked up as if to see what was so funny.

“Don’t be so ridiculous!” she exclaimed, and she waved her hand dramatically mid-air to dismiss him before she petted Sven and took another bite of pizza. “I can’t wait to see you in the ring again! Oooh, and in a suit, too. It’s been _far_ too long.”

No matter how many times she had told him that it was fine, Kristoff still felt incredibly guilty about the fact that the charity fight had been scheduled on her birthday, of all days. His management had thought nothing of it when they had confirmed his attendance a few months prior, and Kristoff had been ready to pull out of it since the moment that he realised the date, but Anna had reassured him that it wasn’t necessary.

She – along with her sister and her girlfriend and their other friends – had purchased a ticket. _That way I still get to see you_ , she had smiled at him, although Kristoff had made sure that he left the morning free to spend with her. 

Oaken had wanted him at the gym first thing in the morning – as was their pre-fight routine – but despite his competitive streak, Kristoff reasoned that it was only a charity match; all for a good cause, and if he lost because he had chosen to spend time with his girlfriend on her birthday morning, then so be it.

It had been difficult to come up with an idea of what to get her for her birthday – you know, since she was an actual princess who just had to imagine that she wanted something and then she’d get it – and so Kristoff had focused on other things.

He’d bought in all of the food that he knew she liked best and made her an assorted breakfast in bed that consisted of pancakes and scrambled eggs and sausages and bacon amongst other things. Afterwards, they’d gone for a walk around the woods, just the two of them and Sven, and indulged in the quiet that surrounded them.

Once they had returned from their walk, Anna had showered and washed her hair before she threw on one of his shirts and jumped back into bed for a while. The redhead had squealed in delight when Kristoff had emerged in the doorway with the take-out pizza boxes, and Sven had joined her on the bed to see what all the fuss was about.

As much as the blonde enjoyed cooking – and he knew that she enjoyed the food he made, too – he just didn’t have the time to make her anything half-decent before he had to leave, and so he had decided to order lunch from her favourite Italian whilst she had been in the shower. That way, he knew that she’d at least had another good meal before he left.

He had bought her something, of course; the bright sunflowers that she had placed in a pink vase and settled on her bedside table – _my favourites_ , she had grinned, as if he didn’t already know – and the rose gold bracelet that sat proudly on her delicate wrist, the colour matched perfectly to her necklace.

“I didn’t realise that you liked watching me fight so much,” he chuckled, and Anna’s eyes narrowed a little as she watched him pull on a matching hoodie to the sweatpants. 

He wouldn’t change into his suit until after the fight, and it was pressed and hung ready for him in the suit bag at the bottom of his hallway.

“Are you crazy?” she asked, her mouth full of pizza. “You in the ring is the hottest thing I've ever seen! What more could a girl wish for on her birthday?”

His cheeks flushed pink at her words, and Kristoff ducked his head bashfully before he stepped forwards and leant down to press a firm kiss to her lips. 

“If you say so,” he told her, and then kissed her three more times before he pushed himself away from the mattress and began to walk towards the bedroom door. “I love you,” he called over his shoulder, and Anna waved her hand at him.

“Bye, honey, love you!” she responded, though she seemed to be somewhat distracted with her phone, now; and Kristoff shook his head and chuckled as he briskly made his way to the bottom of the stairs.

Since Elsa and their friends were coming over to the cabin to get ready for the charity gala, Anna had spent most of yesterday cleaning, and the strong scent of lemon that lingered in the hallway caused Kristoff to scrunch his nose a little. He grabbed the dark suit bag on his way out and called one last goodbye to Anna before he closed the door, and although he didn’t want to leave her, he supposed that she’d probably have a lot more fun getting ready with her friends than he would have getting ready for the fight.

.

.

.

It wasn’t typical for him to see her before a fight – there’s usually too many people and too much going on, so Kristoff doesn’t get much opportunity to spend any time with her until afterwards – but she had managed to creep her way into his dressing room, though he only realised when he jumped at the sound of the lock being turned.

Tonight, she was Princess Anna; and she was a vision in pastel blue as she stepped towards him. Her hair was loosely curled – Kristoff thinks that he likes it best, like that – and the colour of her dress matched the blue of her eyes almost perfectly, yet Kristoff couldn’t help but have his attention pulled to the small _k_ pendant that danced on top of the material. 

The rose gold letter stood out proudly against the pale blue of the dress, and he smiled despite himself.

He had just about managed to get out a pleasantly surprised _hey_ before she practically jumped at him. Anna wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and dug her nails into the skin there as she pressed desperate kisses against his lips, and although he had immediately froze up at her sudden advance, he quickly relaxed into the kiss and he willingly opened his mouth up to her.

The redhead nipped at his bottom lip and gasped into his mouth when he pulled her closer to him so that they were near enough flush against one another, and although Kristoff would quite happily keep her in his arms and kiss her for the remainder of his evening – fight be damned – he got the sense that something was off.

She whimpered when he pulled his lips away from hers, and Anna scraped her fingernails across his skin as her arms dropped from the back of his neck. Her palms came to rest flat against his bare chest, and she let out a huff of warm air as she opened her eyes and tilted her chin so that she could look at him.

Even in her heels, she was nowhere near eye level with him, and Kristoff bent forward so that he could place a kiss against her hairline before he spoke.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and Anna sighed softly before she responded.

“Am I really that obvious?” she asked him in return, and Kristoff hummed under his breath as he lifted one of his palms to cup her cheek. 

Despite the fact that something clearly wasn’t alright, Anna smiled softly as she leaned into his touch, though she frowned slightly and moved away almost immediately, her eyes narrowed. 

“What happened to your hand?” she asked him, confusion and concern evident on her dainty features, and Kristoff chuckled under his breath.

“Don’t worry about me -” he started, but she cut him off quickly, and Kristoff’s mouth snapped shut.

“Kristoff! What happened?”

She dropped her chin so that she could look down towards the hand that was hanging loosely by his side, and she dropped one of her palms from his chest so that she could grasp at him and bring his hand closer to her face. He didn’t resist and moved willingly for her, and Anna gasped as she inspected his knuckles. 

“Jeez, Kris, they’re a mess! What did you do?”

He chuckled at that, too. “Trust me, Anna, I’ve had worse,” he told her, though his words didn’t do much to ease her frown, and his shoulders sagged a little. “Forgot my gloves. I left them at the gym, and we don’t have any spares, since this isn’t our usual playing field.”

Anna lifted a brow at him. “And you couldn’t just use the ones that you’re going to wear for the fight?”

Kristoff shrugged at her nonchalantly, an almost blank expression on his face. “No,” he told her simply. “That would be bad luck.”

Anna practically balked. 

“Bad luck?” she repeated, and he couldn’t help but chuckle once again at her expression. Kristoff moved to tuck some of her fiery hair behind her ear, and he stroked his calloused thumb against her cheekbone.

“Yes, bad luck,” he said. “Not that it matters – I told you, I’ve had worse. This is nothing compared to concussion. Or a broken nose. And you wouldn’t _believe_ how many times I’ve had my nose broken.”

Anna rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she leaned further into his palm once more.

“So,” he said as he brushed the pad of his thumb against her cheek once more. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Anna bit down on her bottom lip and nodded her head firmly as she raised one of her hands and wrapped it around his wrist, effectively holding his hand in place from where it rested against her cheek. 

“I don’t want you to freak out, or anything,” she told him, and Kristoff frowned. _Freak out_? “But I – well, if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure whether I should even tell you, because I remembered what happened last time. But then I didn’t want you to go out there and be shocked and have it throw you off even more. And I know that you said it doesn’t matter whether you win or not, since it’s just for charity and everything, but I want you to win, so –”

“Anna.”

“Hans is here,” she blurted out. “He’s here, and he’s sitting right in the middle of the front row to the left of your side, and – I’m sorry, Kristoff. I don’t know why he’s done this. I – he – he must have known that it was my birthday, and seen that you were scheduled to be here tonight, and he’ll have put two and two together and known I’d probably be here, too, which just means that he can cause even more trouble –”

Anger bubbled within him as Kristoff thought about the outright nerve of that good-for-nothing, stuck up prince; but then his eyes had widened in surprise as Anna babbled some more, clearly panicked.

“Hey, hey,” he said, and despite the fury that heated his core, Kristoff tried his best to keep his voice soft and steady. “Calm down, Anna; it’s fine, it’s not your fault.”

She inhaled a shaky breath as she clung even tighter to his wrist, her fingernails digging into the skin. “I know, I know, I’m just sorry and –”

“No,” he interrupted her, and he held her gaze as he spoke. “I mean it. Stop apologising,” he said. 

Truthfully, he was glad that she had warned him – he wasn’t sure he would have been able to keep his cool if he would have walked out into the ring and searched the crowd for her only to be met with the smug face of her ex-boyfriend. 

“And thank you for warning me,” he added.

Anna opened her mouth to speak again, but then there was a knock at the door, and Kristoff recalled that he had heard her turn the lock. Oaken’s voice came from outside his door. “Kristoff? Are you in there?” he said, and he attempted to turn the door handle once more.

The interruption immediately lightened the intense moment, and Anna and Kristoff shared a long look before the princess descended into a fit of giggles. Kristoff smirked at her as he dropped his hand from her face, though he playfully poked her in the ribs as Oaken spoke once more.

“Yoo-hoo. Kristoff, we’re ready for you – what are you doing -” he called through the door, though his words only made Anna laugh even harder. 

Kristoff smiled fondly at her before he responded to Oaken.

“Be right out!” he said, and his trainer gave another knock on the door before he shuffled away. 

Kristoff sighed as Anna wiped away a few remnants of her laughter away from underneath her eyes, and she smiled as she looked up at him.

“How do I look?” she asked him, and Kristoff knew what she meant, understood that she wanted him to tell her whether or not her make-up had smudged from their kisses and her tears of laughter, but it hadn’t done, and so he grinned as he answered her.

“Perfect,” he responded, and his smile grew wider as he watched the way her cheeks flushed pink at his compliment. A beat of silence passed between them before he sighed. “I guess that’s my cue,” he said as he tilted his chin towards the door. “I’ll see you out there?” he asked, and Anna nodded her head.

“Of course,” she said, and she rose on her tiptoes so that she could press a final kiss to his lips. 

.

.

.

When it came to charity matches, Kristoff usually liked to drag his feet a little bit. The audience had paid a good bit of money for their tickets – all of which was going to a good cause – although he knew that a lot of them were here to see him fight, too, especially since the season was ready to start up again in the next few weeks. People seemed to feel like they at least got their money’s worth for the tickets when they saw a real fight that lasted a couple of rounds, so that’s usually what he gave them.

But then his eyes betrayed him, and he clocked Hans – front and centre, just like Anna had told him. Range and anger didn’t just fill his chest, anymore; it completely consumed him, from the hairs on his head right down to his toes, and Kristoff felt like he was on fire.

He was used to adrenaline: the pre-fight workout, the nerves, the way that the floor of the ring vibrated from the music that played in the background and the chanting of the crowd made sure that he was familiar with it. But this wasn’t adrenaline, now – this was pure hatred, and it did something completely different to him.

There was no pleasant buzz, just blinding heat and overwhelming anger, and his opponent was no longer someone that he half-recognised from their earlier interactions. Instead, all that he could see before him in the ring was short, auburn hair and ridiculous sideburns and a crooked smirk; and with one heavy – yet accurate – swing of his arm, Kristoff knocked out his opponent within thirty seconds of the first round. 

.

.

.

“Why, don’t you look handsome?” Anna smirked as he shuffled awkwardly before her.

He had cleaned up, of course – showered and rid his body of all evidence of his fight, although it had been over and done with so quickly that he had hardly even broken a sweat; slicked back his hair and shrugged his shoulders into the suit jacket.

The suit itself was relatively simple – all black with a matching bowtie and the same plain white shirt that he had worn to his first royal party. He hated this part of charity events, although he hadn’t even attempted to fight the smile that spread across his face at the sight of her.

There were journalists dotted around them in their allocated areas – royal protection officers on hand to ensure that none overstepped their mark – and whilst none were actually close enough to hear the words that Anna said to him, Kristoff knew that some of their cameras would inevitably be recording the whole encounter, and his cheeks flushed pink at the thought of the whole of Norway – and the rest of the world – lip-reading their conversation.

Still, Kristoff couldn’t resist the easy way he spoke to her; so familiar and in-tune now that it was hard to be anything but comfortable around her – even when she was Princess Anna, rather than just his Anna.

“Not half as beautiful as you look,” he replied, and he was rewarded with a bright smile.

Kristoff lowered his head so that Anna could slip the gold winners medal around his neck, and she smiled devilishly at him before she raised her arm and presented him with the back of her hand. The flashing cameras the sound of murmured conversations faded around him as he raised his own hand to rest underneath hers, and Kristoff bowed before her.

He held eye contact with her as he placed a tender kiss against the back of her hand, and he didn’t miss the way in which her breath hitched in her throat and her light eyes darkened dramatically at his gesture. The boxer couldn’t resist the smirk that tugged at his mouth as his lips brushed against her skin, and he gently released her hand as he moved to return to his full height.

Those light eyes danced over the full length of him – from his slicked back hair to his dark bowtie and his shiny black shoes – and Anna blinked softly at him. 

“This suits you,” she murmured, a small smile on her face, and Kristoff swallowed thickly at her words.

Anna cleared her throat as her eyes danced over the room – seemingly aware once more that they were surrounded by journalists and cameras – and she smiled knowingly at him as she folded one hand over the other in front of her pelvis. 

“Congratulations, Mr Bjorgman,” she said to him, the words soft yet regal all at once.

He wondered whether this might have been easier with Elsa, after all.

“Your Highness,” he said, and he bowed before her once more before he turned and exited the room.

.

.

.

Kristoff had nursed the same beer for the last hour, and it was mostly because Anna had chugged three strawberry daiquiris in the same amount of time – plus whatever she’d had before. 

He knew that she could handle herself, and he wasn’t going to smother her; but he was also well aware of the fact that her ex-boyfriend was lurking _somewhere_ , and he wasn’t sure how messy things would be if he was drunk, too.

Elsa nudged him from where she sat to his left, and he didn’t miss the way in which her brows pulled together ever so slightly as she regarded him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and he nodded once.

“Yeah,” he told her, “I’m fine.”

She didn’t look like she believed him.

.

.

.

Somewhere along the line, Anna had settled herself into his lap; and one of Kristoff’s hands rested on her lower back whilst the other was perched comfortably on top of the skirt of her pretty dress. She had been running her fingers over the gold medal that sat on his neck, and after a few minutes, Kristoff looped his fingers around the string and removed it. No sooner was he free of the weight of it did he carefully push it over her head, and he chuckled as she smiled at him.

“Kris!” she laughed. “This is yours! I gave it to you.” 

Her words were a little slurred, but nothing dramatic – she had slowed down on the daiquiris.

“And now I'm giving it back,” he told her. “Besides, it looks better on you, anyway,” he grinned, and Anna squealed before she pressed her lips firmly against his own.

“Anna!” Olaf laughed, although Anna was anything but deterred by her friends teasing; and she probed his tongue with her own whilst Kristoff smiled into their kiss.

The blonde had never been one for public displays of affection before, but he relaxed into her kiss anyway. _Fuck it._ He had won the fight, he had the most beautiful girl in the world in his arms, and she wanted to kiss him – who was he to deny her?

And if her ex-boyfriend happened to see? Well, then, that was just a happy bonus. 

.

.

.

“Ugh - I feel a little dizzy,” Anna complained from where she had buried her head in the crook of his neck, and Elsa frowned in concern from where she sat beside him.

“Want me to take her outside for some fresh air?” she asked, but Kristoff shook his head as he moved to help Anna to her feet.

“It’s alright, you finish your drink,” he said as he followed his girlfriend to stand. “I’ve got her,” he smiled, and Elsa grinned, too, before she returned her attention to her own girlfriend.

Anna was a little wobbly on her feet, but Kristoff was reasonably impressed by the way in which she managed to make it to the side door of the venue before she leaned down to remove her heels. Kristoff held the palm of his hand against her lower back in order to steady her so that she didn’t fall, and she smiled gratefully at her shoulder at him before she sighed in relief once her shoes were off.

The redhead inhaled deeply as he followed her out of the door and into the cool air, and Kristoff felt his shoulders relax a little, too. It was stifling inside, and it was nice to get away from the noise – even if it was only for a short few minutes.

“Better?” he asked as he moved to lean against the brick wall, and Anna smiled dreamily as she twirled around, the dress of her skirt lifting in mid-air from the momentum of her spin.

“Much,” she sighed happily, and she giggled as she came to a stop.

“Have you had a good birthday?” he smiled, and Anna nodded her head rigorously.

“The _best_ ,” she grinned, but then she shuddered slightly and ran her palms over her bare arms, and Kristoff frowned.

He pushed himself away from the wall as he watched her shudder once more, and he supposed that it was quite chilly. 

“Cold?” he asked, and before Anna could answer him, he had already started to shrug his arms out of his tailored suit jacket.

“A little,” she admitted, and she let out a content sigh as he draped the dark material over her shoulders. 

The jacket was huge on her – as all of his clothes were – but she looked so snug wrapped up in it that he couldn’t help but smile affectionately at her. 

“You’re the best,” she grinned as she stepped forwards and draped her arms around his waist. “How did I ever get so lucky?”

Kristoff rolled his eyes playfully at her. “I wouldn’t say lucky, so much as crazy,” he commented, and Anna opened her mouth to speak before the smile fell from her face in half a second.

“Well, perhaps there’s something that we agree on, after all.”

From where she stood with her arms wrapped around his waist, Kristoff felt Anna tense instantly at the sound of _his_ voice; and the blonde huffed out an irritated sigh as he stood up a little taller. He felt more than saw Anna frown, and she pushed herself away from him ever so slightly – though she kept her arms firmly around his waist – so that she could glare over her shoulder at her ex-boyfriend.

God, would he love to wipe that smirk off the smug asshole’s face.

Kristoff mirrored Anna’s hard expression, and he instinctively moved to place one of his large palms protectively over her lower back, holding her close to him.

“What do you want?” Anna spat, and Kristoff thought of how he had never heard her speak with so much venom in her voice, and he felt his chest swell a little in pride. 

He knew that his girl wasn’t going to stand here and take shit from some dumb prince, but it felt good to hear it all the same.

He resisted the urge to speak, too, and he instead remained stoic and silent beside her. This was her business, her battle, her moment - though he was more than willing to step in if she needed him – and Kristoff was going to let her have this.

His free hand remained clenched in a tight fist by his side, though.

Just in case.

“I just came to get some fresh air,” Hans said with a shrug of his slim shoulder as he stepped away from where he had been hovering against the side door, and it swung to a heavy close behind him as he approached the couple.

Anna’s fingers dug into the back of Kristoff’s shirt, and he could feel the anger radiating from her as she scoffed. 

“Sure you did,” she commented, and Kristoff could practically hear the roll of her eyes, though he didn’t look at her – his own eyes were locked right ahead, straight at his target. “At a charity boxing match that you just happened to be at. When Kristoff was participating in the title fight. On my birthday. In Norway.”

Hans laughed at her words, and Kristoff’s frown deepened. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, _princess_ ,” he said with a roll of his green eyes. “Or are you even calling yourself that anymore?” 

He looked at Kristoff for the first time since he had appeared in the doorway and sneered. “Since you have taken such a liking to mingling with common folk – what’s next, ’just call me Anna’?”

He barked out a laugh at his own joke, and Kristoff didn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes.

“You’re unbelievable,” Anna scoffed as she jutted out her chin. “And you have some nerve, coming to _my_ country –”

“ _Your_ country?” Hans asked with a quirked brow. “Or your father’s? And then your sister’s? Because I don’t recall any spare being given the right –”

“You’re one to talk about spares, Hans; and unlike you, I am more than happy with my place in line, and I have no desire to rule a country –”

Those green eyes rolled dramatically as Hans smirked right at her. 

“No, but I see you’ve got every desire to spread your legs for the first man to look your way –”

Kristoff drew the line there, and the anger that he had felt rise within him when he had seen Hans seated in the front row returned. Even after watching that, this guy was still reckless enough to corner them both and provoke him; which meant that he was either ridiculously brave or stupid.

Although the boxer didn’t care either way.

“Watch your mouth,” he said as he glared over at the prince, and Hans slowly looked him up and down several times before the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

“Put your guard dog back on its leash, Anna,” he said, his tone so full of venom that it had Kristoff tensing impossibly further. “I’m well aware of just how weak and pathetic you are, but if you can’t even fight your own battles –”

“I said watch your mouth,” Kristoff repeated, his own voice more of a growl now, and Hans frowned at the interruption.

“Or what?” he asked as he stepped forward, inching closer to them both.

Anna’s arms fell slowly from around Kristoff’s waist, though she pressed one of her palms against his chest, right over his heart.

“What do you think you’re going to do to me? I’m a _Prince_ , and you’re nothing but a wild brute who managed to win over this desperate slut -”

In one fluid motion, Kristoff had stepped away from his girlfriend and the fist that had been clenched by his side had collided brutally with the side of the prince’s jaw. It was an effortless move that didn’t even take him more than a second to calculate, and Kristoff had hardly put any of his weight into the punch – he had barely even swung – but Hans topped backwards onto the ground regardless.

From where she stood slightly behind him, Anna gasped, but the sound wasn’t enough to distract him.

Kristoff was furious – he was so sick of this man; sick of the hurt and the pain that he had caused to Anna, sick of the ways in which he had messed with her head and impacted on their relationship, sick of the bullshit that came out of his mouth in every interview or drunken livestream or –

“Kristoff, please!”

The sound of her practically screaming his name caused Kristoff to snap out of it, and his brown eyes widened as he realised that Hans was trembling violently beneath his tight fists.

The boxer had no idea how he had even got here, couldn’t remember moving at all, and yet he had the prince pinned to the brick wall. His large fists were clenched in the collar of his shirt, and Hans’ feet dangled above the ground as Kristoff held his weight effortlessly in mid-air.

The position meant that he was eye level with Hans, and Kristoff drank in the utter fear that he could see in the prince’s eyes. He’d never felt anger like this before, never felt capable of doing unspeakable things with his hands before: he was trained to fight, to be strategic and tactical and clever, but right now, he was convinced that he’d be willing to kill, if Anna just said the word.

The thought terrified him, and he released his clenched fists immediately. Hans slid down the brick wall and fell into a crumpled, gasping heap on the floor, though Kristoff could only focus on his pounding heart and the way that it vibrated in his ears.

A small hand came to rest on his bicep over the long-sleeved shirt that he wore, and Kristoff’s head snapped in her direction. Anna’s eyes were wide and a little panicked, although he thankfully didn’t see any fear in them. She didn’t even bother to look down at the ground – despite the loud, dramatic gasps that Hans released – and she curled her hand around his bicep before she tugged gently against him.

Kristoff knew that Anna knew full well that she couldn’t move him – not unless he wanted to go – but he could hardly even think straight and was still a little shocked at himself, and so he followed her lead without question. Once they were inside – the side door shut behind them – Anna jumped forward and threw her arms around his neck.

“Oh my god,” she asked, and he realised then that she was trembling. “Are you okay?”

Kristoff frowned as he pulled back from her. “Am I - Anna, did you see what I just –”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence, though, since she didn’t give him a chance to. Instead, Anna reached her small hands up to the collar of his shirt and yanked him down towards her so that she could press her lips against his in a hungry, desperate kiss. 

Kristoff’s eyes widened dramatically as she wasted no time in thrusting her tongue into his mouth, and although he responded to her passionate kisses in earnest, the frown remained on his face even as she pulled away.

“Anna,” he started, but she shook her head from side to side as she grinned up at him.

“Let’s go home,” she panted, and Kristoff stuttered a little as he responded.

“I - home? What about Elsa, and –”

“They’ll be fine,” she responded with a roll of her eyes, and she finally released the collar of his shirt so that she could lace her fingers with his and tug on his arm in an attempt to encourage him to follow her down the corridor. “Come on. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Kristoff stumbled along helplessly behind her, although he couldn’t help but guiltily eye the entrance to the room where her sister and friends remained, no doubt waiting for their return. One of them really should give them a heads up that they were leaving, at least, just in case they started to worry about where Anna had gotten to –

“Trust me, they’ll know,” Anna laughed as he voiced his thoughts; and before Kristoff could so much as huff in response, the redhead had tugged him into the back seat of the royal car along with her.

Her hand squeezed at his thigh as she reeled off the address of their cabin to the driver, and she gave the older man a dazzling, princess smile before she pressed her finger against a dark button that had the partition rising.

Kristoff’s heart raced. “Anna, I don’t think that –”

She straddled his lap, then, and muffled his weak protests as she leaned in to kiss him. Kristoff was well and truly hers to toy with, and he moaned and hummed happily as she licked into his mouth.

“Are you really going to deny a princess of what she wants,” Anna panted, and she rocked her hips against his for emphasis. “On her _birthday_?”

Kristoff hissed as she ground against him, and he gave up fighting. If his girl wanted something, then she got it – whether they were in the backseat of a chauffeured car or not.

“Anna,” he hissed as she nipped at his earlobe. “You know damn well that I’d never deny you of anything.”

She hummed in approval at that, and she rocked against him once more. “Good,” she grinned. “Because I need you inside of me. Right. Now.”

If his girl wanted something, then she got it: end of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. the inside joke that Hans laughs to himself about when he says 'what's next? you're going to be 'just' Anna?' isn't even that funny lmao but it's a reference to prince harry who introduced himself as 'just' Harry last week or something at an event and. idk it just made me chuckle


	31. Chapter 31

Anna smiled softly – still somewhere between dreaming and waking – as strong, broad arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her close.

Heat radiated from Kristoff’s bare chest as he pressed himself fully against her own naked flesh, and Anna released a contented hum as he buried his face into her mass of hair and inhaled deeply. She shifted against him happily as she nuzzled her face further into the softness of her pillow, and her lips twitched upwards as his thick fingers began to tickle back and forth across the soft pane of her lower abdomen.

Lazy mornings with Kristoff were her favourite kind.

“Where did you go?” she yawned, her words slightly slurred. 

The redhead kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she turned her head slightly over her shoulder so that the stubble of his chin tickled against her forehead, and Kristoff chuckled from behind her.

One of his large palms moved over the curve of her hip and he squeezed the flesh there. “Training,” he responded, his voice low and gentle, just above her ear.

Anna’s brows furrowed at that, though her eyes remained closed. 

She couldn’t bear the thought of opening them and being met with blazing sunlight. 

“But you smell so good,” she said, and Kristoff chuckled again as she nudged her nose against his chin to emphasise her point.

“I showered, too,” he explained, and Anna smiled as she nuzzled her head further into his neck. It wasn’t necessarily comfortable from the angle that they were lay, but she wasn’t prepared to move away from him just yet – even if it meant that she had a crick in her neck later.

“What time is it?” she asked as his parted lips brushed against her temple in a ghost of a kiss, and the soft smile that danced across her lips widened as he traced the line of her jaw with the tip of his nose.

He nudged softly at her chin, and Anna quickly took the hint and turned her head away from him so that he had better access to her neck and shoulder; and Kristoff immediately buried his face into the exposed skin and let out a happy noise.

“A little after twelve,” he said before he pressed another chaste kiss against her skin.

“Mmm,” Anna hummed as she stretched underneath his weight. “Time to go back t’sleep, then?” she asked with another yawn, and she felt him smile against her shoulder as he wrapped his arms impossibly tighter around her.

“Yeah, baby,” he agreed, and god, she loved him so _much_. “Time to go back to sleep.”

.

.

.

“Anna,” Kristoff called, his voice a little distant. “Anna, come on, baby, wake up.”

Anna whined dramatically as she reached blindly across the bed, her outstretched palm smacking over the bedsheet and duvet covers. She wrapped her fist tightly around the first spare pillow that she found before she quickly pulled it over her head in an attempt to shield her light eyes from the roaring sunlight that gleamed into their bedroom.

“Five more minutes, Kris,” she groaned into the pillow; though she peeked one of her eyes open when she felt Kristoff tug the pillow down ever so slightly in order to reveal her face to him.

The blonde hovered above her from where he was leant forward over the large bed, and Anna quickly forgot all about the vile taste in her mouth and the dull ache that throbbed behind her eyelids as a result of one too many strawberry daiquiris last night when she saw the worried expression on his face.

Her heart dropped at the sight of it. Her boyfriend never looked at her like that, and she knew instantly that something was wrong.

Anna quickly pushed the pillow away and scrambled on her elbows in order to sit upright, and she shuffled herself slightly so that she could rest her back against the headboard of the bed.

Kristoff’s frown didn’t ease as he gently lowered himself down and perched his weight on the edge of the bed, his long legs dangling over the side of the mattress and finding purchase on the floor. There was no way that Anna would be able to do the same if she mimicked his position, and the thought made her almost smile despite her concern.

She noticed then the phone that he had in his hand, and although it was clearly unlocked, Anna couldn’t see what was open and waiting on the screen.

“Your father is on his way over,” he told her, his tone flat, and Anna’s light blue eyes widened dramatically at his words. 

Her mouth opened to ask him why, but Kristoff knew what she would ask before her tongue could form the word, and he offered her the device in his outstretched palm. 

“Read it,” he said, and the redhead gingerly removed the phone from his hand before she did as he asked.

“Shit,” she muttered as she scrolled, although she could hardly focus her attention on the words that were typed in the article.

Instead, her eyes roamed over the images that made up the main body of it.

There had been so many clear photographs taken of Anna, Kristoff and Hans from earlier in the evening – most of those included within the article – that it was easy enough to decipher who was who despite the poor quality of the photographs that had been taken in order to perfectly capture last night’s scuffle between the two men.

Anna was relieved to find that there was no video to accompany the images, and she supposed it was a positive that they weren’t all that clear since they had clearly been taken some distance away, and at a reasonable height, too.

 _Bastards_.

Once she had looked over the images, Anna read the article – although she didn’t retain much of what was written in it – before she re-visited the images once again, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she used her thumb and forefinger in order to zoom in on the perfectly-timed image of Kristoff’s fist colliding with Hans’ jaw.

Sure, it might not have been the best quality image, but it was clear enough.

Despite the fact that she knew this could only mean one thing – _trouble_ – Anna couldn’t help the way that her lips twitched at the memory of that moment, and she couldn’t resist the overwhelming urge to screenshot the picture, either.

For her records, of course.

Nothing else.

Kristoff had been watching her, waiting for her reaction, and the boxer didn’t miss the way in which her fingers moved in order to screenshot the image. His brown eyes narrowed at her from across the bed, and he shook his head a little in disbelief.

“Anna!” he exclaimed, although she could tell from the way in which his mouth curved ever so slightly that he was trying his hardest to be serious with her and not to smile, too - which, of course, only made her grin even more mischievously over at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“What?” she asked as she feigned innocence.

Kristoff leaned forward over the bed and took his phone from her hands, his brows furrowed slightly as he locked the device and slipped it into one of the pockets of his sweatpants. 

“You know full well what,” he grumbled.

“Lighten up, _Prince Fisticuff’s_ ,” she teased, though he didn’t look at all amused at the nickname. 

She didn’t hate it – she much preferred it to _prince charming_ , anyway; thought that it had quite a ring to it – but it was a sore subject for the boxer.

Anna sighed softly before she reached for his hand with both of her own and tugged gently at it, silently asking him to come to her.

Kristoff regarded her for a moment, and although there was no hesitation in his eyes, there was a sadness there that she didn’t like at all, and Anna tugged pleadingly on his hand once more. Kristoff’s shoulders sagged at that and he didn’t wait another moment to crawl over the mattress towards her.

Anna smiled happily at the sight of him approaching, and she didn’t even blush at her nakedness (bar her panties) as she opened her arms and spread her legs wide in order to accommodate the width of his broad form between her own.

They had never really settled into this position before. It was always Kristoff who held her, who kept her pressed up tightly against him, tucked close and safely into his arms. She craved his warmth and affection and lapped it up happily, but she could see the vulnerability etched all over his masculine features and knew instinctively that he needed to be held.

Anna guided him towards her, and although he was tense at first beneath her fingers, he eventually settled himself against her slowly. He pressed the side of his face against her bare chest – his ear directly over her heart – and she leaned over him slightly so that she could rest her cheek against the top of his fair mop of hair.

After a few seconds, Kristoff relaxed even further into her touch, and Anna began to slowly rake her nails across the exposed skin of his broad shoulders; and she smiled to herself when he shuddered gently.

Neither of them said anything for a while, and Anna continued to tickle her fingers over his back, working her hands up and down the length of his spine – well, as much of it as she possibly could, since he was so tall - in an attempt to further relax him.

Comfortable and content with his close proximity and the feel of his weight pressed against her, Anna’s eyes drifted to a close as she began to sing softly; and the princess raised one of her palms to the back of his head so that she could run her fingers through the fair strands.

“I fucked up,” Kristoff murmured against her chest when her song had finished. “Shit, Anna, I fucked up so bad, and I’m so sorry.”

Anna frowned at that, though she continued to run her fingers through his hair and tickle his back. She nuzzled her cheek slightly against the top of his head before she spoke. 

“I’m not,” she said without hesitation. “And you – you didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to apologise for. Not to me, not to anyone.”

She could practically feel him roll his eyes at her words, and Anna removed her cheek from the top of his head and tilted her chin down so that she could look at his face as she simultaneously tugged on the hairs at the nape of his neck in order to encourage him to look up at her.

“I mean it, Kristoff. There’s only so much that someone can chip away at a person before they snap. Hans got exactly what was coming to him.”

Kristoff sighed at that, though he continued to look up at her. “I know, but it’s not – it’s not that simple. You’re a _Princess_ –”

“And you’re a boxer,” she said simply. “So he should have known better than to goad you.”

“ _Anna_ ,” he grumbled as he flopped his head against her chest once more, and the redhead giggled as she returned to running her fingers through his hair. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

“Trust me, Kris, I am _deadly_ serious. He had what was coming to him. I tried to warn my dad about it because I knew that Hans wouldn’t leave us be, but he wouldn’t listen to me. The only thing that I’m sorry about is that you didn’t break his jaw – we all know full well that you were more than capable of doing some serious damage to him. And he really did deserve it.”

“Still,” Kristoff said. “It doesn’t change the fact that the press are going to eat this up. I don’t give two shits what any of them have to say about me, but _you_ –”

Anna placed a gentle kiss to the top of his head and smiled as she continued with her ministrations. “I don’t care what they say about me, either. You and I both know the truth about what happened there – isn't that all that matters?” she asked.

Kristoff sighed heavily against her. 

“I don’t know,” he responded, and the sound of tires rolling over gravel from outside – along with Sven barking from the living room in order to alert his master of their visitors – had him shift beneath her. “I guess we’ll soon find out,” he said as he looked up at her, and Anna leaned down to steal a quick kiss before he pushed himself away from her and rolled over the bed.

He leant down to the bottom drawer of his bedside table from where he lay across the mattress on his stomach, and she watched as he pulled out a dark t-shirt to wear along with the grey sweatpants that currently hung low on his hips. Anna prodded her big toe against his lower back and grinned when he looked over his shoulder at her.

“Hey, pass me one,” she said, and Kristoff cocked a brow at her request.

“No way,” he said, though he didn’t move. “Not a chance you’re parading round here in just one of my shirts when your parents have just pulled up. Your dad will already want to kill me as it is –”

Anna rolled her eyes playfully before she moved quickly in order to swipe the black tee from his unsuspecting hands, and she giggled as her boyfriend watched with wide eyes as she tugged the material swiftly over her head. As usual, it fell to just above her knees – wide enough that you could easily fit two, if not three of her within it – and she grinned triumphantly as she jumped to her feet and twirled before him.

“Just watch me,” she said, and he looked honest-to-god _terrified._

“Anna,” he warned. “I really don’t think –”

There was a knock at the door, and Anna’s mischievous smile grew wider as she stepped backwards into the hallway, her eyes locked onto his whilst she moved. Kristoff’s mouth was parted, but no words came as he watched her with a panic-stricken expression, and she quickly bolted down the stairs before he could so much as blink.

“Don’t worry, honey!” she called loudly to him as she began to make her way down the stairs, knowing full well that her parents would be able to hear her from where they stood on the front porch. “It’s just my parents – I'll get it!”

.

.

.

It was a little less awkward than she had expected, so.

That had to count for something.

Surely.

The four of them sat on bar stools around the kitchen island – Agnarr and Iduna united on one side, Anna and Kristoff on the other. Anna had offered to make everyone tea or coffee, though only the Queen had accepted, and so both women had a mug of steaming hot tea cupped in their palms.

Anna had shuffled her stool over so that there was hardly any space between them, and she had offered him her sweetest smile knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to touch her. The arm that had been pressed up against hers had adjusted so that it snaked around her lower back, and his large palm was resting on her hip, his thumb brushing over her skin through the thin material of his shirt.

“I’m sure you both know why we’re here,” Agnarr began, and Anna felt Kristoff tense against her. 

She knew how nervous he was, and she dropped one of her own hands from around the hot mug of tea so that she could place it on his thigh and offer him a reassuring squeeze.

“Of course,” Anna nodded.

The King regarded them both before he spoke again. 

“I’ve had a crisis meeting this morning with the PR team,” he explained. “About last night’s... _incident._ There are a few options that we need to discuss so that we can figure out the best way to tackle all of this. I don’t know what happened –”

Kristoff stiffened once more before he spoke, and Anna tilted her chin to find the line of his stubbled jaw to be hard and tense. 

“Hans disrespected Anna,” he said simply, and the redhead didn’t miss the way in which her mother’s lips quirked upwards at Kristoff’s words.

Anna nodded her head in confirmation. “That’s right, he did – just like we knew that he would,” she said. “He must have been watching us and waited until we were alone. He sought us out and then –”

Kristoff’s other hand remained on the worktop from where he leant over it slightly on his forearm, and Anna raised her hand from where it rested on his thigh and placed it over one of his hands. She fought a smile at the way in which her father’s eyes followed the movement, and she squeezed the back of her boyfriend’s large hand gently.

“I don’t know what I would have done without you,” she said as she looked directly into his eyes.

Kristoff’s lips twitched a little at that, although he quickly corrected himself with a quick cough before he returned his gaze to her parents. Silence passed between the four of them for a few beats before the blonde spoke once again.

“I really am sorry for all of the trouble that this has caused,” he said, and Anna narrowed her eyes as she tilted her chin to look up at him once again. “I didn’t mean to let him push me, but after what he said about Anna, I –”

“I already told you that you have nothing to be sorry for,” Anna said as she squeezed his hands once more before she turned to look at her parents. “So,” she said as she straightened her shoulders, “what are these options?” 

.

.

.

It was Anna’s decision, in the end. Kristoff made it quite clear that he would support her no matter what she wanted to do in terms of managing this situation and deflecting attention from what had happened the night before, and he emphasised several times that so long as she was happy, he was happy.

So.

Anna made her decision.

Agnarr regarded his daughter with uncertain eyes as he lingered in the doorway. 

“You’re sure about this?” he asked her, one of his fair eyebrows raised.

“Positive,” Anna said firmly, leaving no room for argument in her tone. 

She’d had enough of laying low, of staying quiet and being the good girl. They had tried that approach for over eighteen months, now, since her relationship with Hans had ended, and it hadn’t worked; so she knew deep down that it was time to try something new.

“Alright, then,” her father said with a sharp nod. “I’ll brief the team when we arrive back home. I’m aware that they already have several stories at their disposal to leak to the press. In the meantime, I'll reach out to the King of the Southern Isles and formally request that he stops his son from entering Norway.”

Anna smiled triumphantly, although she couldn’t help but feel a little bitter about it all. She couldn’t shake the feeling that had her father just listened to her in the first place then none of this would have happened.

The King turned his attention to Kristoff, then, and she bit down on the inside of her cheek as her boyfriend stood a little taller underneath the older man’s gaze. 

“Kristoff,” Agnarr began. “I have to admit that I don’t exactly condone violence. _However_ ,” he said as his eyes flickered to his youngest daughter and then back to the blonde. “I want to thank you. For looking out for my daughter.”

Kristoff swallowed thickly from where he stood beside her – his bicep brushing against her shoulder just a fraction – and he met her father’s outstretched palm with his own and shook his hand three times.

“Of course,” Kristoff said with a nod, solemn and serious and utterly adorable, she thought. “I love Anna, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

She felt as though she might burst with love and pride at his words, and she grinned widely at him as he dropped her father’s hand and tilted his chin so that he could look down at her and meet her dreamy gaze. 

Anna leaned her body against him – her head coming to rest beneath his shoulder – and she wondered whether these butterflies that she felt would ever go away.

“We know,” Iduna smiled from where she lingered beside her husband, and she gave Anna a knowing look. “Funnily enough, I think the whole world knows that now, too.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so maybe I was able to update this faster than I anticipated after all !!! hehehe

  
  
Kristoff grunted as he flopped face-down onto the bed, his body and hair still rather damp from the shower, but he didn’t have the energy to care. Training had been _rough_ \- Oaken had well and truly put him through his paces in order to prepare for his first fight of the season in two weeks – and although it was only eleven in the morning, he’d been up and at it since six.  
  
Anna giggled from where she sat crossed legged on her side of the bed – Sven curled up on the floor beside her – and she moved to close her laptop and place it on top of the bedside table.  
  
A lot of Anna’s role as Princess involved charity work, and he knew that she was currently in talks with a newly founded charity who supported children’s mental health about representing them as a patron. Most of Anna’s patronages were children’s charities, and she seemed particularly excited about this one.  
  
“Morning, honey,” she smiled as she moved to pet at his wet hair.  
  
Kristoff turned his head to the side with a small huff so that he could at least get a good look at her. Anna was still in her loungewear – a light grey jumper and knitted pants set – with her hair wild and curly, clearly unbrushed. Her pale skin and warm freckles were all on show, since she hadn’t put on any make-up, and there were little crumbs that lingered on the corner of her lips from the croissant that she had eaten for her breakfast.  
  
The sight of her so comfortable and beautiful and _happy_ in this space – this space that had once been his, so empty and dull and plain until she came along, made it her own and brightened it up – caused him to swallow thickly.  
  
He wondered often how he ever got so lucky; what he ever did that was so right that meant that he got to have this, that he got to love _her_.  
  
“How was training?” she asked, breaking him from his thoughts, and Kristoff groaned a little in response. The sound caused her to laugh lightly, and she moved to lie down on her side next to him. “That bad, huh?”  
  
Despite the stiffness of his body and the deep aches of his muscles, Kristoff couldn’t fight the way that his lips quirked when his girlfriend brushed the tip of her nose against his affectionately. It was so easy, now, to be with her like this; and he sometimes wondered where he’d be without her, what sort of lonely life he’d still be living.  
  
It didn’t scare him anymore.  
  
“I think Oaken broke me,” he told her, his voice thick, and his brown eyes fluttered to a close as Anna’s dainty fingers began to trail over his stubbled jaw. He needed to shave before tonight, and it would have made sense for him to do it after he had showered, but he just needed to rest for a moment.  
  
“My poor baby,” Anna teased, and Kristoff smirked as he opened his eyes once more. Her thumb danced over his cheek and the boxer leaned into her touch before he turned his face in her palm and placed a soft kiss to the skin there. “Want me to kick his ass?” she whispered, and he let out a laugh.  
  
His biceps ached something rotten, but he couldn’t resist the pull that he felt towards her, and Kristoff wanted to touch her; wanted to feel her warm, creamy skin beneath his fingertips, and so he raised his arm and draped it over her waist unceremoniously. He pushed the knitted fabric of her loungewear out of the way so that his large palm could rest across her lower back, and a contented noise escaped his throat as he felt her warm skin against him.  
  
“I’d love that,” he said, and Anna grinned as sinned. The redhead raised her other hand to his cheek, too, so that she could cup his face before she leaned forwards and kissed him.  
  
“Consider it done,” she murmured, and kissed him again.  
  
Their kisses were slow and soft and sleepy, and Kristoff licked his tongue into her mouth at a lazy pace. Anna hummed in approval as her hands wandered into his wet hair, though their kisses eventually fizzled into chaste presses of lips, and Kristoff pulled away with a sigh.  
  
“I love you,” he told her with a smile.  
  
“And I love you,” Anna responded without hesitation. “ _So_ much.”  
  
She pressed a series of little, light kisses against his mouth and stubbled cheek before she removed her hands from his face and brought them to his arm that was still draped across her waist. Anna nudged at him and Kristoff took the hint. He removed his arm and brought it back down onto the mattress, though he frowned at the loss of her.  
  
“What’s -”  
  
“Stay still,” Anna told him, and the blonde raised his head into the air from the pillow as Anna pushed herself upright and swung her leg over his backside so that she was straddled over his back.  
  
Kristoff tried to push himself up on his elbows as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at her, but Anna tapped his shoulder three times and smirked. “Hey!” she giggled as she ran her fingers through the back of his damp hair. “You’re not listening. I said stay still, Bjorgman.”  
  
The blonde flopped his head back down onto the pillow in order to satisfy her, though he continued to frown. “What are you –” he began, though his question faded out into a long, deep moan as her nimble fingers squeezed at his tense shoulders. “ _Fuck_ ,” he hissed, and Anna giggled as she shuffled from above him.  
  
“Feel good?” she asked, and Kristoff groaned again as she repeated the motion a little harder. He was about to open his mouth and tell her how good it felt when she did it _again_ , and Kristoff’s eyes fluttered to a close as he gave up the thought of saying anything at all and instead allowed himself to focus only on her touch.  
  
Anna hummed from above him as she worked away at his tense muscles, using her fingers and the heels of her wrist and her fists and her elbows in order to release the knots that she found as she worked her way down the length of his taut back. Kristoff couldn’t help the noises that escaped his throat as she rubbed and squeezed at his muscles: it had been a while since he’d had a massage, but those were nothing like this.  
  
Nothing came close to the feel of his girl working away all of that tension.  
  
When she was finished, Kristoff felt like he was floating, and he moved his head from side to side in order to crack his now relaxed neck before he turned beneath her. Anna grinned from above as she now straddled his waist, and Kristoff moved to slide both of his large hands underneath her sweater so that he could hold her steady against him.  
  
From where he had been snoring by the side of the bed, Sven startled, and the rottweiler took one look at the couple before he immediately stood and hurried out of the room. They could hear him as he trotted down the stairs and through the hallway below, and Anna placed one of her hands over her mouth to hide her grin whilst Kristoff rolled his eyes.  
  
“Oh!” she giggled. “Do you think we upset him?”  
  
“Nah,” Kristoff shrugged, and then he dug his fingers a little into her ribs in order to encourage her to come down to his level. Anna smiled knowingly before she followed his lead, and she met his lips with a soft kiss.  
  
“Do you feel any better?” she asked, and Kristoff nodded quickly. The action caused his nose to bump against hers, and he quickly moved to kiss her once again, his lips hungry as they moved against her own. Anna, however, was in no such rush. “Really?” she murmured against his lips, and his brows knotted together at how uncertain she sounded. “I’ve never given anyone a massage before, so it’s fine if –”  
  
“ _Anna_ ,” Kristoff said as his eyes blinked open into her own. He squeezed her hips lightly and smirked at the way in which she squirmed in response to his touch. Kristoff looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke. “That was the best massage I’ve ever had.”  
  
The redhead rolled her eyes over-dramatically at him, though he didn’t miss the way in which her cheeks flushed at the compliment. Her eyes narrowed, then, and her lips quirked into a mischievous smirk. “You’re only saying that to get in my pants,” she teased, and Anna rolled her hips excruciatingly slowly against his hard length for emphasis.  
  
_Alright, so maybe he_ had _enjoyed her massage in more ways than one._  
  
Kristoff’s eyes widened and he grunted in surprise as pleasure shot through him at the feel of her centre being pulled over the outline of his cock. He was suddenly aware of his own nakedness – the towel that had been slung over his hips following his shower discarded somewhere beneath their bodies – and he frowned at her loungewear.  
  
“Not true,” he responded simply, though his hands began to wander to the waistline of her pants. His eyes fluttered a little when she rocked against him once more. “Did it work, though?” he asked.  
  
Anna laughed lightly before she leaned forwards and kissed him once more.

.

.

.

  
“Oh my _god_ ,” Anna moaned as she closed her eyes and licked her lips. “This is the best lasange I’ve _ever_ had.”  
  
Kristoff chuckled at her from across the table as he took another bite of his own pasta. “You know, if we were anywhere else right now, then I might have resented that,” he told her, and Anna rolled her eyes knowingly as before she took a long drink of her wine. “But you’re right. This food is _the_ best.”  
  
Anna nodded in agreement as she placed her wine glass down and shoveled in another forkful of food, and Kristoff smiled affectionately as he watched her eat.  
  
They didn’t often come out to eat. Money wasn’t an issue, but there was no need to indulge in nightly trips to fancy restaurants like most of Anna’s friends did – Kristoff had always enjoyed cooking, had always been good at it, too, and he enjoyed it even more nowadays since he had someone to cook for.  
  
Plus there was the fact that they both preferred to opt for the privacy of their cabin than the idea of making a big show in public; and whilst Kristoff had never been one to enjoy the media spotlight, Anna had learned from her previous relationship and had made a conscious decision very early on that she wanted to keep the details of their relationship private, too.  
  
Still, this was a special occasion – their one-year anniversary – and Kristoff had insisted that they do _something_ to mark it.  
  
 _What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn’t take her out to celebrate?_  
  
No matter where the two of them went, cameras often followed. Even in the city, paparazzi didn’t exactly linger around waiting for them – they had long accepted that it was unlikely they would manage to get any pictures of the princess and her boxer, since they kept a quiet presence and tended to keep to the privacy of their cabin – but they were easy enough to alert and were always quick to track the couple down wherever possible.  
  
And even if there were no paparazzi, then there was always the public who had good quality camera on their phones; many of whom were all too willing to sell images to make a little bit of cash.  
  
Thankfully, _Il Vecchio’s_ was a small Italian restaurant on the quieter side of the city that Kristoff had frequented for years, and the blonde could at least be confident that the staff wouldn’t call the paparazzi when he brought her here, and they went above and beyond to try and ensure that the couple were out of sight of other diner’s wherever possible.  
  
Since the night of the charity fight when Kristoff had punched Hans, the boxer had been surprised to find that the media attention towards them – and him, specifically – had been rather positive. Anna had been right: the best way to tackle Hans had been to play him at his own game, and the release of negative story after negative story seemed to encourage the prince to disappear.  
  
 _Desperate times call for desperate measures_ , she had shrugged when Kristoff had confirmed that this was the approach she wanted to take, and he hadn’t been able to hold back his grin at her.  
  
Whatever Angarr had said to Hans’ father seemed to have helped matters, too, and there had been no reports or sightings of him in Norway since.  
  
Now, the tone of the media was very much in Kristoff’s favour.  
  
Daily articles from journalists who had been skeptical about his relationship with Anna now talked of how his defense of their princess had been _romantic_ , a demonstration of his passion and love; and although the boxer had rolled his eyes at some of the ridiculous headlines as well as the interviews that Anna had watched where so-called ‘love experts’ picked apart his body language in order to show how it demonstrated his devotion to her, Kristoff supposed that this all had to be at least a little better than them slating Anna for bringing a piece of rough into the royal family.  
  
Since the charity match, Agnarr had insisted that Royal Protection Officers accompanied them both wherever they went – if they so much as left the house, then they were to be followed by a minimum of two RPO’s. Kristoff thought that the idea what utterly ridiculous and had voiced his frustration to his girlfriend about it as well as to the men who insisted on accompanying him when he went to Oaken’s, or the store, or even to see his family _(though they waited in a car outside, then)_.  
  
Anna was used to being accompanied by these men in suits – she'd been followed around by them since she could walk, and she was able to forget about their presence easily enough. Kristoff, on the other hand, wasn’t. He was a grown man, a _boxer_ , for crying out loud; and he was more than capable of taking care of himself _and_ of his girl.  
  
Still, he couldn’t exactly say that to the King, nor could he go against his orders; and so they had been accompanied to the restaurant by RPO’s. Whilst Anna had Kristoff had dressed appropriately for the setting – him in dark jeans and a plaid button-up, her in a black skater dress, tights and heeled boots – the men remained in their usual attire of sleek, black suits; which did little to not draw attention to them from where they sat on the table beside the couple.  
  
 _“Do they always have to dress so ridiculously?”_ Kristoff had muttered under his breath to her once they had pulled up outside of the restaurant to find them waiting in the car park, and Anna had shook her head from side to side.  
  
 _“They don’t_ have _to,”_ she had said with a smile. _“They can wear plain clothes whenever necessary, but when they heard that we were coming for dinner, they were probably thinking of somewhere more...”_  
  
 _“Royal?”_ he asked with a raised brow, and Anna rolled her eyes, though she didn’t say anything else as she stepped out of the car and walked hand-in-hand with him into the restaurant.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Anna smiled as she reached over the table and took his free hand in her own. “Your cooking comes in at close second.”  
  
Kristoff couldn’t help but smile at her as he began to stroke over the back of her hand with his fingers, and his eyes widened a few moments later when he realised that he had been brushing his fingers just above the knuckle of her ring finger. Anna hadn’t seemed to notice – she was too busy talking about how good the food was – and he stilled his fingers before he took a long sip of his own drink.  
  
His brown eyes danced to the small _k_ necklace that hung over the high collar of her dress – the black fabric complementing the rose gold pendant perfectly – and his lips twitched upwards as she continued to chatter away animatedly.  
  
When she placed a rather large forkful of lasange into her mouth, Kristoff swallowed his own food down and squeezed her hand.  
  
“You look beautiful,” he told her for what had to be the third or fourth time that evening, but _god_ he meant it. Anna’s cheeks flushed as she set her fork down on her plate and tucked her hair behind her ears.  
  
“I love you,” she told him once she had swallowed the food down. “And I – I don’t know if I tell you this enough, but I’m just so _happy_ , Kristoff. I never imagined that I could have a life like this with anyone, and I – _god_ , I’m just so glad that I get to have it with _you_.”  
  
Her fingers laced through his, and Kristoff smiled as his thumb stroked over the back of her hand. “You have no idea how happy you make me, too,” he told her, and he raised their joined hands so that he could place a soft kiss to her knuckles. “This has easily been the best twelve months of my life,” he added.  
  
Anna cocked her head to one side as she beamed at him from over the table. “Yeah, well – here's to many more,” she said, and Kristoff fought a smile at how shy she sounded as she said the words.  
  
They spoke about the future, of course, and he couldn’t imagine a life without her; but the conversation felt a little different now that they had met this milestone.  
  
“Yeah,” he agreed with a nod of his head, and he kept his eyes locked on hers. “Many, _many_ more.”  
  
That made her snort, and Anna dropped their hands back down to the surface of the table. “Have I ever told you that you’re just – _ugh_ , you’re just the sweetest, and the softest, and the _best_?”  
  
Kristoff laughed. “You might have mentioned it.” 

.

.

.

  
Anna had suggested that they share a dessert yet insisted that he choose which one. It had seemed ridiculous to him, since Kristoff knew that she would be the one to finish most of it – she had much more of a sweet tooth than he did, and although he had allowed for a change in his strict diet today due to it being a special occasion, he was still mindful of the fact that the season was about to kickstart.  
  
He opted for a safe option of three different flavours of ice cream along with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and array of chocolate toppings, and – just as he had predicted – Anna was more than happy to eat most of it whilst he watched with a knowing smile.  
  
He thought of how easy it was to love her, and he thought of the many ways in which his life had changed since last season. His priorities were different, now, and he knew that it wasn’t going to be easy spending time apart from her after having eight months of freedom to spend with her. It wasn’t as though they had been together every single day – after all, Kristoff still had to train, and Anna had her own charity work to focus her attention on as well as other royal events – but he knew that this was going to be different.  
  
Some weeks, his fights might be at different locations across the country, and he wasn’t certain of whether she would accompany him – not just if she was physically available to do so, but if she’d even _want_ to. He knew that it wasn’t exactly proper to ask a princess to follow him round, and there were other things to consider, too; like the holiday season, and Christmas, and how busy she would be with her own work.  
  
Kristoff had just settled the cheque when he felt her foot brush up and down the length of his calf over his jeans, and he raised his head from the card reader in order to cock a brow at her. He found a knowing smirk settled on her lips as she repeated the action underneath the table, and Kristoff swallowed thickly as their server accepted his tip and walked away.  
  
The boxer moved one of his hands beneath the wooden table so that he could catch her heeled boot in his hands, and he stilled the movement of her foot instantly. He didn’t want to ruin her fun, but he was equally all too aware of the RPO’s that were seated so close to them; though Anna didn’t seem to care much for their presence as she continued to smirk over at him.  
  
“Ready to take me home?” she asked, and a sheepish chuckle escaped his lips as his cheeks flushed a dark crimson.  
  
 _Even after one year, she still had him acting like a love-sick schoolboy when she looked at him like that._

.

.

.

  
Anna was on him as soon as he parked the truck outside of the cabin, and Kristoff groaned happily against her lips as she straddled his waist and cupped his face with both of her hands. Her thumbs stroked against the now smooth surface of his jaw and cheeks, and Anna sighed into his open mouth as he moved to open the car door.  
  
“C’mon,” he murmured between wet kisses. “Let’s get inside.”  
  
It wasn’t as though they were expecting visitors – especially not at nine o’clock in the evening – but his ma didn’t live far at all, and stranger things had happened. He wouldn’t put it past her to turn up unannounced and unknowing of their anniversary to find her son in a compromising position with the princess.  
  
Anna hummed against his lips as her hot breath danced over his face. “Can’t walk,” she grinned as she wiggled in his lap, and Kristoff had no doubt that she would be able to feel the hard length of his cock through the denim. “No shoes, remember?”  
  
The redhead had removed her tights and her boots and had tossed them unceremoniously onto the backseat, and Kristoff wanted to tell her that he couldn’t forget that since he now had so much access to the bare skin of her long, pale legs; though he knew he wouldn’t be able to articulate the words – not when she was grinding herself into his lap and pressing kisses to his mouth.  
  
Instead, Kristoff shook his head at her in response before he happily lifted her and kept her pressed tightly to him as he stepped out of the vehicle.  
  
Anna giggled into his mouth – evidently quite pleased with herself – and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he carried her up the steps and towards the porch of their cabin. She was impatient, though, and she nipped on his bottom lip as he moved them closer to the front door.  
  
It wasn’t as though carrying her took much effort at all – Anna was lighter than most of the weight that Oaken had him press on a daily basis – but it was much harder for him to maneuver them both up the concrete steps that led to the door when she kissed him like _that_ , so he took a little longer than usual to make his way up.  
  
When they finally reached the top step, Kristoff pressed her up against the front door so that he could free one of his hands in order to fumble with the lock. “ _Jesus_ , Anna,” he panted as he broke their passionate kiss only for her to begin to trail her lips across his jaw and the exposed skin of his neck.  
  
“Want you,” she whispered against his skin, and Kristoff let out a huff as he successfully unlocked the front door and used his foot to push it open.  
  
Once he had tucked his keys into the back pocket of his jeans, the blonde moved his large palm so that he could return his grip at the bare skin of her thigh as he carried her over the threshold of their cabin. The lights were dimmed, and there was no sign of Sven, so Kristoff assumed that the dog had taken himself to bed. His other arm wrapped around her lower back in order to keep her firmly pressed against him, although Anna had made sure that he couldn’t drop her from how tightly her legs had wound around his hips.  
  
The feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingers was too tempting, and Kristoff couldn’t resist the urge to snake his hand further underneath her dress as he moved through the large hallway towards the stairs. He cursed loudly as his hand squeezed at the flesh of her ass, and his eyes burned as he pulled away from her lips.  
  
“No panties, Anna?” he groaned, though she just giggled happily against his mouth. “ _Fuck_ , I – are you _trying_ to kill me?”  
  
She smiled against his lips as she shook her head. “Nah,” she breathed. “Just fuck you.”  
  
Kristoff had reached the third stair when her words caused him to misstep, and his grip on her tightened as he righted them both. The boxer cursed against her lips once more.  
  
“Give me a minute, and I'll –”  
  
“We don’t need a minute,” she said as she shook her head. “I need you _now_.”  
  
Kristoff didn’t even hesitate as he began to lower them both down on the staircase, though he was still a little reluctant. “Right now?” he asked, and Anna nodded her head eagerly as she began to move her nimble fingers against the buttons of his shirt. Kristoff looked over his shoulder at the front door and frowned. “I’ve not even locked it, I –”  
  
“Don’t care,” she dismissed as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders, and he shuffled his arms in order to help her pull it off.  
  
“I know, but anyone could just show up and –”  
  
“Then let them see,” she responded, and Kristoff hissed loudly as Anna’s hand worked its way beneath the denim and his boxers and wrapped around his cock.  
  
His hips bucked instinctively at her touch, and as she began to move her hand up and down the length of him, Kristoff made peace with the fact that he was going to take her right here, in the middle of the staircase, in view of any of their family who might have turned up and walked through the front door.  
  
 _At least that was unlikely, but he stood by the fact that stranger things had happened._  
  
“You know,” he panted as he quickly tugged his jeans down his thighs. “I had planned to take my time with you tonight, and I –”  
  
“Maybe later,” Anna murmured, and Kristoff whimpered as she released his cock so that she could move to pull the hem of her loose dress up higher.  
  
The sight of her freshly shaved skin sent a pulse of excitement through him – it didn’t matter how many times he saw her naked, his body _always_ responded to her rapidly – and Kristoff didn’t waste any time as he moved to line himself up with her entrance.  
  
“I can’t wait, though,” she told him, and he dropped his head to her shoulder as his thick fingers traced her soaked lips. “I need you to fuck me. Right now.”  
  
“Whatever you need, princess,” he murmured as he trailed those wet fingers up to her clit, and Anna shrieked loudly as he plunged into her in one swift movement.  
  
It wasn’t always like this between them. Sometimes, it was soft and slow and sensual, sweet and loving and delicate. Sometimes, Kristoff would make sure to take his time with her – like he had originally planned to do tonight. He’d hold her softly whilst he caressed her skin, place wet kisses of worship against her cheeks and her forehead as he slowly slid in and out of her. He’d look her in the eyes as he murmured _I love you’s_ and he’d kiss her languidly whilst she came undone beneath him.  
  
They were good at reading each other, though; and he knew that she didn’t want that right now.  
  
 _Maybe later._  
  
So, he didn’t hold back as he fucked into her tight heat. He knew that she wouldn’t exactly be comfortable with her back pressed firmly to the stairs beneath her, and yet he had a feeling that that was what she wanted, too; that she wanted to add to the experience of him roughly fucking her, and so he didn’t bother to move her body.  
  
If she got too uncomfortable, she’d say; he trusted her enough to know that she’d stop him, stop _this_ , if it got too much.  
  
Thankfully, it never did.  
  
Anna’s eyes were squeezed tightly closed as he thrust his cock relentlessly into her, as deep as he could possibly angle himself, and his own eyes closed as he embraced the feeling of her wet heat. Kristoff’s movement was slightly restricted due to the fact that his jeans were only halfway down his legs, although Anna didn’t seem to mind at all – in fact, her moans of pleasure encouraged him enough to not bother trying to pull the denim further down his legs.  
  
Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, but Kristoff had a feeling that if she was going to climax from this, then she’d need _more_ ; and so he roughly yanked her legs from around his hips and pulled them round to her front. He was adamant that it couldn’t have been comfortable for her back, to be positioned like this, but Anna grinned as he moved to place her feet on both of his shoulders, and so he knew that she didn’t really care.  
  
She cried out as he pounded into her. The new angle meant that he was able to reach further into her, and despite the fact that he was mesmerised by the faces that she made as his cock worked its way inside of her and his thick fingers circled over her engorged clit, Kristoff’s own eyes squeezed to a tight close.  
  
“ _Shit_ , Anna, baby, I’m close,” he stuttered as he quickened his pace, and he firmly pushed down on her ankles so that her feet were now positioned by her own head rather than resting on his shoulders.  
  
“Do it,” she panted as she brought her hands to his hair and tugged firmly on the fair strands. “ _God_ , I – Kris, _please_ , I need you to come for me –”  
  
She gasped into his ear as Kristoff thrust himself firmly against her several times more, and he let out a long, low whine as he squeezed his eyes tightly closed and released himself deep inside of her. The boxer collapsed against her as his entire body tingled with the waves of his orgasm, and he shuddered before he pulled himself out of her and pushed his weight away from her.  
  
Anna was pliant beneath him, and her legs slowly dropped from where he had positioned them near her head so that they fell around his hips once more. His release began to slowly pool out of her, though Anna didn’t seem to care; and both of their chests heaved up and down dramatically as they calmed themselves.  
  
When she grinned up at him with wild eyes, Kristoff returned the smile.  
  
“I needed that,” she panted, and the boxer chuckled as she loosely wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
He was suddenly aware of the fact that she could hardly be comfortable pressed up against the stairs like she was, and so he tucked his arms underneath her dress so that they could dance across the skin of her back and pulled her towards him, effectively raising her spine from the hard stairs beneath her.  
  
“Are you alright?” he asked, and Anna nodded.  
  
“Mmhmm,” she hummed as her eyes fluttered to a close. “Never better.”  
  
Kristoff let out a long breath at her words before he leaned forwards and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he told her, and then kissed her again. “Come on – let's get you upstairs,” he said.  
  
Anna’s quirked a brow at that, and she watched with glazed eyes as Kristoff pulled his jeans back up his hips and then moved to scoop her up into his arms. She went happily to him and smiled softly as she brought her head down to rest against his shoulder.  
  
“Why?” she asked with quirked lips. “Are you going to make good on your intentions to take your time with me?”  
  
He chuckled as he held her close whilst he moved up the stairs. “I thought I'd get you cleaned up, first,” he told her, and Anna nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.  
  
“A bath _does_ sound delightful,” she responded, and her lips tickled against his skin as Kristoff cocked his hip and used his weight to push open their bedroom door.  
  
The boxer looked down at her with a raised brow, and Anna blinked up at him expectantly. “Who said anything about a bath?” he murmured, his voice low and thick, and Anna’s light blue eyes widened in understanding before he grinned and tossed her onto their bed.  
  
“Kristoff!” she shrieked as she bounced on the mattress, and he laughed loudly at the sight of her before he clambered across the bed towards her.  
  
The redhead descended into a fit of giggles as he placed soft, chaste kisses all over her face; although her laughter soon faded as the boxer moved to pull her dark dress over her head and tossed the crumpled fabric over his shoulder. She widened her eyes and cleared her throat as he lowered his face to her skin once again, and he parted his lips in order to place wet kisses to her skin.  
  
“I love you,” Anna told him in a breathy voice as he lowered his kisses to her chest, and she squirmed beneath him as his lips trailed further down her body.  
  
“I love you too,” he responded before he nipped at the smooth curve of her hip. “Let me show you how much.”  
  



	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little bit of a time jump to the start of the season hehe :) 
> 
> thank u for all bearing with me whilst I found the motivation I needed for this! this chapter KILLED me but, here we are!

“Oh dear,” Oaken’s voice boomed from the doorway, “I know that look.” 

Kristoff tried to at least half-smile as he raised his eyes to his trainer, but his shoulders sagged dramatically as he exhaled through his nose. 

He was perched on the edge of one of the weight benches that occupied the unfamiliar gym space, and he let out a heavy sigh as the redhead moved to sit down beside him. Neither of the men spoke for a long moment, and Kristoff slumped forward so that his chin rested on top of his palm, elbows on top of his knees. 

Three days. That’s all that it had been. 

Another twenty-four hours and he’d be home. 

Still. He missed her _so much._

“It’s stupid,” Kristoff said as he ran his free hand through his sweat-dampened hair, brushing it away from his forehead as he stared down at the floor. 

Oaken’s grin was wide and bright and full of mischief as he looked at the boxer expectantly, and Kristoff just about managed to restrain the urge to groan at his expression. He didn’t know how to verbalise what he was feeling, especially not when he knew that he was being ridiculous and a little over-dramatic. 

Instead, he let out a frustrated huff. 

“You’ve got it bad,” Oaken grinned, “that’s not _stupid._ That’s how feelings for pretty girls work.” 

Kristoff rolled his eyes at that. He wanted to tell him how Anna wasn’t just some pretty girl, and that it wasn’t just that he had it bad for her – it was so much more. He wanted to explain how it felt being away from her when all that he’d known over the last eight months was her constant companionship, wanted to admit how difficult it was to sleep alone when he was so used to her presence beside him in bed; but the last thing that he wanted was for Oaken to worry about the fight, so he didn’t go there. 

“It’s not going to impact on tonight,” Kristoff said, his tone firm and final as he spoke. 

Oaken’s grin only grew wider at that, though; and he nudged him in the side with his elbow, causing Kristoff to snap his head over towards him and glare. 

“So, have you bought the ring yet?” he asked, and Kristoff knew that he was teasing him, knew that it was a joke, but – 

“I had it made a while ago, actually,” he said, and Oaken’s jaw practically fell to the floor at the confession. 

It was the first time that Kristoff had spoken about the ring to anyone apart from the jeweler, the first time that he had verbalised his plan, his intentions; and it felt _good_ to have that weight lifted from his shoulders. He’d been wanting to tell his ma, at least; but she’d been on his case for months about when he was going to propose, and he figured that she didn’t need more encouragement to keep nagging him about it. 

He’d been patiently waiting for the right moment, been trying to plan it out so that it was romantic – a story worth re-telling, at least. He thought about doing it over their anniversary dinner, had been so _close_ to pulling the ring out for her; but it didn’t seem natural, didn’t seem like _them,_ and he’d chickened out. 

If she were anyone else, then it wouldn’t be so hard; but he already knew what would happen the moment that their engagement was announced. He already knew the way in which the media would want to suck out all the details from them – _public interest,_ they’d say – and he’d watched videos of other royal’s at their engagement interviews, had heard their grand tales and tall stories, and he had a feeling that proposing in their cabin in the middle of the woods wasn’t the best way to go about asking the Princess of Norway to marry him. 

So. 

“I don’t know what I'm supposed to do with it, though,” Kristoff continued, and Oaken’s eyes widened as he spoke. “I just – it seems _soon_ _,_ I think _._ But I just... I _know_.” 

He’d always known, really. 

He had felt something, that very first night when he saw her; when she locked eyes with him through the crowd at his fight, before he even knew her name, or who she was – he'd known. 

“Wow,” Oaken said, surprise evident in his tone, “I didn’t think that you had it in you!” 

Kristoff glared at him once more, and Oaken gave him another light shove. 

“She’s a Princess, though,” Oaken continued – as though he needed reminding – and he kept his tone casual. “You know how Royals are – they don’t like waiting around when it comes to these things.” 

Kristoff’s brows knitted together at that, and a small chuckle escaped his throat before he could even control it. He recalled the first time that his mother had told him the same thing, and he rolled his eyes at the memory. 

“What is it with people saying that?” the boxer asked. 

“It’s the truth,” Oaken shrugged. 

They were quiet for another moment whilst Kristoff thought some more. He knew that he shouldn’t be thinking about this now – knew that he should be focusing on mentally preparing himself for the fight tonight – but being away from Anna (even if it was only for seventy-two hours) had really messed with his head. 

It wasn’t as though he considered himself to be a clingy partner. He was pretty confident in the fact that they were both independent enough. Anna’s charity work kept her busy most days, and royal appearances added to her schedule, too; whilst Kristoff spent most of his time training – even focusing between the seasons. 

He knew what it would mean, though – to marry her. 

Knew what he’d have to give up. 

He wasn’t sure whether he was ready to lose himself, no matter how much he loved her. 

“Listen,” Oaken said as he brought a hand to Kristoff’s bare shoulder, “if you know she’s the one, then what are you waiting for?” There was no teasing in his tone now, and Kristoff sighed once more as he continued to look down at the floor. “It takes months to plan a wedding, if that’s what you’re worrying about.” 

“I just –” Kristoff started, “I don’t know if I’m ready to give this up,” he sighed. “There’s no way that I’ll still be able to fight. Not if I’m –” 

“A Prince?” Oaken smirked, and Kristoff narrowed his eyes. 

“Fuck off,” he practically growled, and the redhead laughed loudly. 

“Look,” Oaken said, “you’re an excellent fighter, Kristoff. I knew that the first time that I ever saw you swing. But you’ve got to put it into perspective,” he sighed. “The plan was never to do this forever, right?” 

“Right.” 

It was the truth. Kristoff’s plan had been simple enough: get in the business, win some fights, make enough money to pay off his ma’s mortgage and get out before he seriously injured himself. 

He had accomplished more than that in his first season. One defeat – and not that he was bitter about it, but it wasn’t as though he’d been knocked out, and it was a pretty close fight – along with signing a record-breaking contract, ridiculous amounts of advertisements for huge brands who sponsored him and winning the title fight had meant that Kristoff had more money sat in his bank account than he knew what to do with – enough that it made him feel a little nauseous, to tell the truth. 

He’d been able to build homes for his family, had been able to provide his ma with everything that she wanted and more, and he knew that he’d always have enough money to fall back on, should he ever need it; though deep down, he knew that he’d never have to worry about finance once he married Anna. 

Correction: _if_ he married Anna. 

There was no guarantee that she’d say yes, after all. 

“And I’m sure there are other things that you can do,” Oaken said. “The King knows you’re not the type to just sit around and look pretty.” 

That was also true, although it reminded him of one little detail: he still needed to ask her father’s permission. 

. 

. 

. 

It was late by the time that Kristoff returned to his hotel room, and he knew that she’d likely be asleep. The sight of the empty, freshly made bed caused him to sigh, and has he perched himself down on the edge of the mattress, he could picture her so clearly in his mind; months of having her beside him creating the perfect image of sprawled across the bed, no doubt drooling all over his pillow whilst she snored. 

His lips quirked at the thought, and he recalled how she told him that Sven had been keeping her company in bed, too. He was used to bringing his dog with him for his own company – the two of them had been attached at the hip since the rottweiler was a pup – but he had a feeling that she’d need him more. 

He knew that she’d want him to wake her, though – they hadn’t discussed it, and he was reminded of a time _before;_ a time that seemed so long ago, now, when her name lighting up his screen stirred feelings within him that he couldn’t quite explain. His thumb hovered over her number on his call list, and he remembered the way in which he’d anxiously stare down at the screen and debate whether he should reach out before he would simply give in to the desire to hear her voice. 

It had been a time when he would wonder whether she’d want to hear from him or not, whether she’d be irritated that he’d woken her – if she woke up at all, that was. 

He didn’t need to worry about those things anymore. 

Anna answered on the fourth ring, and Kristoff sighed as he moved to strip himself of his post-match suit. 

“Hey, baby,” he breathed, and his shoulders sagged at the sound of her voice. 

“Hi,” she greeted him, her voice thick with sleep, and _god,_ how he yearned for her now; how he wanted to be there with her, to pull her into his arms and keep her tucked in close where she belonged. “How was the fight? Did you win?” 

He chuckled at that as he kicked off his pants and moved to undo his tie. “Yeah, I won,” he told her, and he grinned at the celebratory noise that she made. “I’m sorry that I woke you.” 

“I’m not,” she sighed, and he could hear the way she shuffled on the other end of the line. “I - it’s stupid,” she said, breathy laughter in her voice, and he could tell how tired she was. “But I just – I miss you so much, you know? I know it’s only been three days, but I...” she trailed off, then; and he thought of how uncertain she sounded. 

Kristoff frowned as he tilted his head in order to rest the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I miss you, too,” he said. “It’s not the same without you here.” 

He had wanted her there with him of course; but Anna had already been scheduled to attend royal engagements that couldn’t be altered, and even if they could, he wouldn't have wanted her to amend her schedule for the sake of keeping him company. He knew how much she enjoyed her charity work, and she was so excited about the way in which her current mental health project was coming together, and Kristoff didn’t want to distract from any of that. 

Being here – away from her – had solidified his decision, though; and in a way, he was grateful for the distance, for the quiet and the headspace. It was a reminder of what his life looked like without her, a reminder of cold, lonely nights, of days filled with boxing and eating scheduled meals and not a whole lot more going on, and he knew that he couldn’t live this life forever. 

He didn’t _want_ to live this life forever. 

Oaken was right, too: Agnarr had to know that Kristoff wasn’t the type of man who wanted to lounge around in a castle doing nothing all day, and if the King did accept Kristoff’s request to take his youngest daughter’s hand, then he was sure that there was something he’d be able to do in order to make himself useful. 

Boxing was his passion, his _life_ ; and he knew he wouldn’t be able to fight anymore, but his mind whirled at the memories of his own childhood, and he thought about what things would have been like had he known about boxing, then. He wondered whether they could tie it together, somehow, him and Anna; her with her passion for children’s mental health, him with his passion for the sport, and – 

“I love you,” she sighed down the phone, the sound of her sleepy voice cutting Kristoff off from his thoughts. 

“I love you, too,” he told her, and they quickly said their goodbyes after that. Kristoff could have sworn that she was snoring before he hung up the phone, and he smirked before he discarded it haphazardly onto the bed. 

He was tired, too; three nights of poor sleep had done nothing for him, and yet he knew that tonight would be much the same. 

Just another fitful night without her by his side. 

Kristoff propped himself up against the headboard – used two pillows to support his back, since it was aching something awful following his fight – and he sighed softly as opened the small jewelry box that he had kept locked away in the bedside table. He’d been carrying it with him for weeks, now; waiting for that perfect snapshot of time that he had tried so hard to envision, and he was finally starting to think that he knew what she might want from him, after all. 

Still – first things first, he needed to ask her father, and _then_ he’d ask Anna. 

If this was his last season fighting, then so be it – if it meant that it was the last time he ever had to be away from her, then that suited him just fine. 

. 

. 

. 

It was early when he woke, and there were interviews and a visit to some local gyms scheduled before his flight back home, but it somehow seemed more bearable, today; somehow seemed better knowing that he wouldn’t spend another night alone, without her. 

Kristoff frowned as he squinted down at his phone screen, though; his eyes open enough just to register the fact that Anna had tried to call him several times in the last half an hour. He knew immediately that something was wrong – she didn’t have any appearances scheduled today, and she never woke up before ten a.m. – and his stomach dropped as he unlocked the screen and opened the text message that Oaken had forwarded to him. 

It was a news article, and it took him a second to read the headline. 

_The Princess and The Pauper: Boxer_ _Bjorgman’s_ _Troubled Past Revealed_ _! Click_ here _to see all the details – including the adoption certificate!_

Oh, _fuck_ _._


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry that its been a hot minute since I updated this story! but im back with it and im hoping to have it finished as soon as I can :) 
> 
> ive had the ending planned out for a while but I realised that I was probably being a little optimistic with my chapter count, so you may have noticed that it's been bumped up to 40 chapters. hopefully it should stay at that now!

Just as Agnarr had predicted, news of the royal engagement served as a nationwide distraction that took away every inch of attention from Kristoff’s newly-revealed past. 

It wasn’t as though the boxer cared much about it either way. As much as he had always made a point of wanting his private life to remain private wherever possible, it wasn’t as though he was ashamed of his past or his upbringing; especially not when it had all led him here, led him to _her._

Still, he was relieved all the same to know that the happy news had taken away the scrutiny from his own situation. A _win-win,_ Agnarr had dubbed it; and since there had been no doubt for any of them as to who was behind the stunt of having his birth certificate released to the world, Kristoff couldn’t help but feel a _little_ smug about the fact that it had only been a headline-worthy story for a whole twenty-four hours prior to the announcement. 

As was apparently a standard part of royal life, rumours had surrounded the future queen for a while now. Media outlets in particular had hinted towards a potential relationship between Elsa and Honeymaren for a while, though there had never been any official confirmation of their relationship other than the fact that they attended events together and had occasionally been photographed holding hands; and overall, the two women had managed to maintain the ultimate level of privacy while they dated.

And since the blonde had been the one to propose, there had been no reason for anyone to know about her intentions to marry Honeymaren if she didn’t want them to; and, as had been the case for their whole relationship, Elsa opted to keep her intentions to herself. As a result, the news had been quite a surprise for everyone - including the King - although the entire family had been delighted, overall; and once the official announcement was made, they soon learned that the whole country felt the same way, too. 

And whilst Kristoff had returned home from his trip to find Anna furious and frustrated - she’d spent far too long combing through the articles and reading the exclusive interviews that some of the women who used to work in the children’s homes had given to the press - the happy news had served as a distraction for her, too, and he was relieved about that more than anything else.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he had told her when he returned from his brief trip to find her with tear-stained cheeks and dark eyes and a raging frown on her face, “none of this changes anything, Anna.”

He meant it, too - it didn’t change a thing for him. 

He knew that she recalled just as well as he did the way that he’d run scared all that time ago, that she remembered the way in which the media scrutiny and the intense headlines and general invasion of his privacy had intimidated him; but things were different, now, and those tricks weren’t going to work, weren’t going to push him away. 

Hans Westergaard could leak as many stories to the press as he wanted about Kristoff’s past - none of it mattered. It didn’t take anything away from the fact that he was happy, that he was in _love,_ and it certainly didn’t take away from his intentions to marry Anna.

Well. 

If she’d have him, of course.

.

.

.

Monday rolled around, and it was much the same as any other Monday -

Except it wasn’t.

After his usual six o’clock workout, Kristoff showered and quickly dressed; though rather than his usual sweatpants, the boxer opted for a pair of dark jeans and one of his nicer light blue shirts. Anna was still fast asleep in their bed - she had no engagements or meetings today, so there was no rush for her to wake - and he moved to press a quick kiss to her forehead before he quietly made his way down the stairs and headed out of the cabin. 

There had been a time - before Anna - when Sven would have followed his every move, when he would have tangled himself around Kristoff’s feet and sat patiently waiting by the front door, eager to leave with his master; but now, the rottweiler didn’t so much as look up from where he slept on the floor next to Anna’s side of the bed. 

The blonde couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

Heading over towards the palace during the morning rush-hour probably wasn’t the wisest choice to make, but Kristoff was nervous enough about his meeting with the King as it was, and had he waited at home for the rush hour to settle, then he was certain that he would have gone out of his mind. There wasn’t any particular hurry, he supposed - they hadn’t set a time or anything, they’d simply agreed on a morning meeting - and the drive over allowed the boxer to have some more time to think over what he was going to say. 

By the time that Kristoff arrived at the palace almost ninety minutes later - the journey taking him twice as long as it usually would - he had mentally prepared a full speech that managed to convey everything he wanted to say to the King about his daughter and how much he loved her; but by the time that Agnarr welcomed the blonde into his office, he had forgotten every planned word.

_Shit._

“So,” Agnarr said as he settled himself down on the opposite side of his desk, “you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Kristoff nodded once. “Yes,” he said, “I - I do. Want to talk to you about something.”

He cringed at his own awkwardness, and whilst he didn’t doubt that the King liked him anymore - after all, all of Anna’s family had welcomed him into their lives with open arms, had supported their relationship despite the nightmare PR stunts and the tension that had arisen with the Southern Isles as a result - he wasn’t convinced that that would be the case by the time that this was over.

It was already so painful, and he’d barely started.

“Alright, then,” Agnarr continued, the corners of his lips pulled into an amused smile. “What is it that you’d like to talk to me about, Kristoff?”

“Well,” he started once more as he brushed his sweaty palms back and forth over his jeans, “I - it was more of a _question,_ actually.”

“Okay.”

Both men were silent for a long few beats - their eyes locked from across the desk whilst Agnarr waited patiently for Kristoff to continue - before the boxer raised a clenched fist to his lip and cleared his throat. 

“I - ah,” he cringed, “I’m. Well, I wanted to ask for your blessing.”

“My blessing,” Agnarr repeated, his brows raised, and Kristoff nodded.

“Yes. Your blessing. For - for me to get married. To Anna!” he hurried; and _shit,_ he really had messed all of this up, he hadn’t even spoken about how much he loved her or how he couldn’t imagine living his life without her, but the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, and his ears burned as the King continued to blink over at him. “I wanted to ask for your blessing to marry Anna. Or - well, for me to _ask_ Anna. To marry me.”

Kristoff instinctively held his breath whilst he waited for Agnarr to process his words, and the small box in the pocket of his jeans suddenly felt like the heaviest thing he had ever carried. 

He couldn’t imagine his life without Anna in it anymore. Fourteen months together had made that so, and more than anything, he just wanted to make her happy as well as make her his; and for a while, the small _k_ pendant that she wore around her neck had been enough, but he wanted _more._

He was certain that she wanted that, too. 

The tension in Kristoff’s shoulders slowly dissipated as cool blue eyes crinkled in the corners, and Agnarr flashed his teeth as he grinned.

“My boy,” he said, light laughter in his voice, “I thought that you’d never ask.”

.

.

.

“So,” Kristoff grinned, “I hear that congratulations are in order.”

Over the past fourteen months, this was somewhere that he had come to associate as being _her_ spot, and he had known instinctively that he might find her here, even if it wasn’t quite ten o’clock in the morning. 

Elsa laughed softly from where she sat in one of the plus armchairs in the corner of the palace library - a thick book in her hands - and he was pretty sure that he wasn’t just imagining how happy she looked.

“Kristoff,” she grinned, “how are you? How’s Anna?” 

He returned her smile as he stepped further into the grand room, the door falling to a soft close behind him as he padded over the soft carpet, and he shrugged his broad shoulders before he sat himself down in the armchair directly across from her.

The boxer wasn’t sure how Elsa managed to sit in these chairs for so long. To say how much the furniture must be worth, they really were rather uncomfortable, and he frowned a little as he shuffled in an attempt to make himself more comfortable. 

“She’s good,” he confirmed as he adjusted his position, “she’s - ah, _really_ good, actually. And excited. She mentioned that you and Maren are coming for dinner tomorrow.”

“We are,” Elsa confirmed with a nod, though her light eyes widened a little. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“What? I - yeah, of course it is,” he said, and Elsa’s smile softened at his words. “I just - I wanted to talk to you about something. In - in private. Without Anna.”

Elsa cocked a brow at that, and despite the fact that both of the sister’s looked so much like their mother, there were times - like right now - when the blonde reminded Kristoff so much of her father. There was something incredibly regal and gently authoritative about her, and it was impressive and intimidating all at once.

Still, this was _Elsa -_ Anna’s sister, his potential sister-in-law; and ever since the first time that she had called him from England all those months before, he had known that they wanted the same thing: for Anna to be happy. 

Elsa cocked a brow at that, and despite the fact that both of the sister’s looked so much like their mother, there were times - like these - when the blonde reminded Kristoff so much of her father. There was just something so _regal_ about her, something in her that was impressive and intimidating all at once.

“Okay,” she said, the word dragged out slightly as she thumbed the page that she was on and moved to close her book, “what about?”

“About - well, it’s kind of about Anna,” he said. “I just - well, I came here to speak to your father, first, and I just - I don’t know,” he continued; and _shit,_ once again, the words fell from his tongue all stumbled and stuttered despite his best intentions, and Kristoff inhaled a long, deep breath through his nose before he tried again. “How did you know the right way to propose to Honeymaren?”

Elsa’s light eyes widened in realisation at his question, and the corners of her lips curved upwards into a knowing smile as she pushed her book further towards one side.

“You - you’re thinking of proposing to Anna?” she asked, surprise evident in her voice, and Kristoff felt the tops of his cheeks flush pink as she grinned over at him. 

“Well, actually,” he said as he lifted his hips slightly from the chair and moved to pull the small box from the pocket of his dark jeans, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, now.” 

Elsa let out a sharp gasp as he used his thumb and forefinger to open the box, and she held a tentative hand out towards it.

“May I?” she asked, her voice soft, and Kristoff nodded before he handed it over towards her.

“Oh, Kristoff,” she breathed, her smile wide, “it’s _beautiful._ She’ll - Anna will _love_ it. Did you…?” 

She trailed off as her eyes flickered between his and the ring, and Kristoff nodded, instinctively knowing what it was that she had wanted to ask. 

“I had it made a while ago,” he told her, and Elsa rolled her lips together as she admired the jewelry once more. “I was - well, I was going to ask her at our anniversary dinner, but it seemed… it just didn’t feel like _us._ And I guess I just - I want to get it _right,_ you know? And I know - I mean, we watched your engagement interview together, and Maren seemed so - so _happy_ with how you did it, and I. Well, I want Anna to be like that, too.”

“Kristoff,” Elsa said, laughter in her voice as she moved to carefully hand the ring back to him, “trust me - however you choose to do it, Anna will be _ecstatic._ ” 

He swallowed thickly as he looked down at the box, and he let out a heavy sigh as he tapped his thumb against the amber stone. 

“I hope so,” he murmured, uncertainty in his voice; and his dark eyes widened when a cool palm came to rest on the back of his hand. 

“I _know_ so,” she told him, and he offered her a closed-lip smile as she moved to sit back against the armchair once more. “She’s my sister, remember? We talk about these things.”

“You do?” he asked, and she laughed even as she offered him a playful roll of her eyes.

“We do,” she grinned. “So - tell me. What did you have in mind?”


	35. Chapter 35

Anna let out a long sigh of relief as she shouldered the front door, and despite the fact that her feet were blistered and her head pounded and her eyelids drooped - she had been up since seven, and it had felt as though she hadn’t paused for breath a moment since - she couldn’t help but smile as she was met with the glorious scent of -

Alright, so she didn’t know what it was that Kristoff had prepared for them; but whatever it was, it smelt _divine,_ and it was just what she had needed after such a long day. 

It wasn’t as though Anna hadn’t been taken care of throughout her life - after all, she had been raised in a palace where staff were more than willing to provide her with anything and everything she could ever want or need, and then some - but there was something decidedly better about this, she thought; something much more intimate about coming home to find that dinner had been prepared for her by the man she loved, _because_ he loved her, rather than by a chef who had done so because that was their job. 

Even fourteen months later, there were still times when Anna had to stop and catch her breath, when she had to near enough pinch herself in order to make sure that this was all real; that Kristoff was here, that he was _hers,_ that he still wanted her the same way that she had always wanted him. He’d laugh at her, of course - would shake his head and roll his eyes and tell her that _he_ was the lucky one, but she didn’t think that that was the case at all.

Sven rushed to meet her by the front door, and she rubbed the top of his head affectionately before she kicked off her heeled boots and shrugged out of her coat. Fall fashion had always been one of her favourite styles - all faux-fur coats and matching hats, pretty patterns and dark tights - but no matter how nice they looked, she still resented the boots after what they had done to her feet throughout the day. 

“Hi, honey,” she breathed as she padded through the hallway and made her way into the kitchen, and despite the fact that she could quite easily crawl into bed and happily sleep undisturbed until morning, the sight of Kristoff stood by the counter with his head turned over his shoulder so that he could offer her a lopsided grin had her feeling much more eager to stay awake. 

Well - that and the food that he had started to plate up, of course.

“Hi, baby,” he said as he returned his attention to the freshly-cooked food, “how was your day?”

Anna didn’t hesitate to make her way over towards him, and a small, contented noise escaped her as she wrapped her slender arms around his waist and moved to rest the side of her head against the middle of his back; and though entire weight near enough sagged against him, it didn’t disturb his movements in the slightest. She was immediately relieved that she hadn’t bothered to apply any make-up today, since his t-shirt was white - though she knew that he’d only have told her that he didn’t care if she stained it, anyway - and Kristoff chuckled softly as she gave his broad form a firm squeeze.

“Long, I take it?” he asked, and Anna sighed heavily before she nodded her head against the soft material of his t-shirt.

“Something like that,” she told him. “I know that it sounds silly, but I just - I didn’t realise just how much we would have to _do._ ”

Anna felt Kristoff move as he continued to plate up their food, and she let out another long breath a few beats later when he lifted one of his hands and covered both of hers with it. He offered her hands a gentle squeeze, and her eyes fluttered to a close as she relaxed impossibly further into him.

“Is it because it’s all happening so quickly?” he asked, and she nodded her head against him. “Well, at least they don’t have to worry about the weather not working in their favour. It’s supposed to snow starting tomorrow.”

“It is?” she asked, surprised despite the fact that the early November air was certainly cold enough to carry snow. 

It hadn’t even been something that anyone had needed to discuss, not really; not when it was a well-known fact that Elsa’s favourite season was winter, and so it hadn’t been that much of a surprise when she had confirmed that she naturally wanted a winter wedding. What _had_ been more of a surprise was the fact that she wanted to have her wedding _this_ winter, as opposed to waiting until next; and whilst Anna supposed that it was doable (stressful, but doable) to plan the event in five weeks - particularly when money wasn’t really an issue and there were more than enough staff around to be able to thoroughly assist with the planning - it wasn’t _quite_ how things were typically done when it came to royal weddings. 

Standard tradition saw a much longer build-up to the ceremonies - at least a good six months or so worth of notice was the norm in order to allow for guests to make arrangements as well as other allied royal families who would be sending representatives and, of course, tourists who would no doubt be keen to line the streets in order to catch a glimpse of the procession. Still, Anna knew that her sister’s arguments for not wanting to wait were more than valid - after all, the wedding was about the two women, not anybody else; and though Agnarr had softly attempted to convince his eldest daughter to put the event on hold for just a little while longer, he’d given up rather quickly. 

“Yep,” Kristoff said with a nod.

Anna remained silent from where she leaned against him for a beat or two more, though she reluctantly released her grip from around his waist when he drummed his fingers against the back of her hand in a silent gesture that he was ready to move. 

“I hope you’re hungry,” he told her as he moved to grip both plates of food, and she watched as he turned on his heel so that he faced over towards the dining table. Before he could move forwards, though, Anna placed one of her palms against his bicep and pressed up on her tiptoes so that she could place a chaste kiss to his lips. 

“I’m _starving,_ ” she grinned.

Right on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly; and Kristoff chuckled before he ducked his head in order to follow her as she settled back down onto her heels, the tip of his nose brushing against her own before he pressed his lips to hers once more. 

That’s all that it took, sometimes - a brief press of lips, a look, a smile - and whilst Anna relished the heated moments where she would thoroughly lose herself in him; these tender, sweet moments with Kristoff meant just as much, if not more.

“Good,” he said, his eyes following hers to the plates, “‘cause I made steak.”

Anna was more than happy to follow him over towards the table, and she smiled knowingly up at him when he quickly set the plates down before he pulled a chair out for her. 

“What’s all this for?” she asked, her eyes narrowed even as her lips curved up into a smile, and Kristoff’s own eyes widened before he shook his head from side to side.

“What do you mean?” he asked, and Anna watched him carefully as he stepped over towards the kitchen island and reached for the bottle of wine that he had left there alongside two glasses. “Can’t I treat you nicely without there being some ulterior motive?”

Anna hummed at that. 

“I’m not so sure,” she told him, though she couldn’t help but laugh as he looked over at her with narrowed eyes. 

The thing was, Kristoff was _always_ nice to her. He was attentive and soft and careful, gentle and sweet and affectionate; but he wasn’t ever over-the-top with his gestures, even when he was thoughtful about the way he went about things. The boxer cooked dinner for them both near enough every night - he’d tried to teach her, but she’d almost burned everything that they tried; and besides, he was adamant that he liked to do it, too - but they usually ate whilst they lounged around in the living room; and whilst they occasionally did eat at the dining table, the candles that he’d placed - and lit - in the centre of it were certainly a new touch. 

She smiled gratefully up at him as he placed the glass down in front of her, and Anna watched with pursed lips as he raised a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed the skin there before he wandered back over towards one of the counters. 

If she didn’t know any better, then she’d say that he seemed somewhat _nervous_ , and she couldn’t help but feel suspicious as to why.

“Perfect, the sauce is ready,” he grinned, and despite her sense that something was a little - well, _off_ \- Anna straightened her back and returned his smile.

“Peppercorn?” she asked, and he chuckled. 

“Of course. Let me just - here, I’ll put it in a bowl, and then I’ll quickly go and get changed -”

Anna frowned at his words. 

Now she _really_ knew that something was amiss.

“Get changed?” she interrupted, and she knew that confusion was evident in her tone as she repeated the words back to him. “Why? Kristoff, you don’t need to - you’re fine. _More_ than fine.”

She watched as the blonde glanced down in order to examine his outfit, and Anna tilted her head ever so slightly as she regarded him. 

She wasn’t lying, he genuinely did look - well, perfectly normal - dressed casually in a pair of light grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. It was an outfit that she had come to associate with the boxer over the past fourteen months, and she laughed lightly as he met her eyes once again. 

“Kristoff,” she said, “you’re perfect. You don’t need to get changed. I - you - come on, let’s eat.”

He hesitated for a brief moment before he let out a quick sigh, and Anna smiled softly when he poured the sauce into the small pot and carried it over to the table before he sat down directly across from her. She slipped her feet in between his legs in an attempt to remain close to him despite the slight distance, and her heart skipped at the smile that he offered her as a result.

“Thank you for this,” she smiled, “it looks amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” he responded; though she didn’t miss the flush of his cheeks at the compliment - or the way in which his eyes darted down to the rose gold pendant that hung round her neck.

.

.

.

As was the case with near enough everything that Kristoff cooked for her, dinner was perfect; although Anna thought that the store-bought chocolate cake and ice cream that he brought out for dessert was almost as nice, too. 

By the time that they had finished eating, she was so stuffed that she was convinced she wouldn’t be able to move an inch; but she watched as Kristoff shuffled ever so slightly in his seat, and Anna instinctively moved to stand, wanting to reach him before he could move to clear their dishes. He smirked knowingly as she made her way round the table and came to stand beside him, and once he scooted his chair back for her, she positioned herself down in the centre of his lap. 

One of his large hands moved to the small of her back whilst the other settled on her thighs, and Anna sighed softly as she looped both of her hands around the back of his neck. She focused on the backwards-and-forwards motion of his thumb as he brushed it over the hem of her jumper dress and onto her tights, and she thought about how his gentle caress could easily lull her to sleep right then and there. 

“Thank you for this,” she murmured as her fingernails raked against the base of his scalp, and his eyelids fluttered to a close as he practically purred beneath her. 

She gave herself a minute to drink him in, then; to imprint this image of him in her memory, if she could, and Anna’s heart felt as though it doubled in size as her eyes danced over his handsome face. He had mentioned a few times now that he was in need of a haircut, but truth be told, she sort of liked it long; and she smiled softly as she leaned in close and brushed the tip of her nose against his.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” she asked him, and she moved back once again when he blinked his eyes open to her. 

His gaze was focused intently on her, and the intensity that she found in his dark eyes made it so that she wouldn’t have been able to look away even if she wanted to. 

“Anna,” he said, his voice raised just a little; and she couldn’t help but smirk as he cleared his throat and started again. “ _Anna._ I - I’ve been meaning to ask you something. For a while, now.”

“Okay,” she smiled. 

“I - wait, _shit,_ I’m - will you get up a minute?”

She frowned slightly.

“Do I have to?” she half-teased - after all, she really _was_ stuffed, and it was rather comfortable on his lap. 

“Please?” he asked, his dark eyes wide and his brows raised ever so slightly, and Anna couldn’t help but melt a little when he looked at her like that.

“Alright,” she smiled, “but only since you asked so nicely.”

As she moved to stand, Anna was surprised when he didn't immediately move to join her, though her light eyes widened dramatically in realisation when he slowly pulled away from the chair -

Only to bend at the knee.

Overwhelmed with emotion, the redhead raised both of her hands to her face and blinked down at him with tear-filled eyes; and her fingers trembled against the tops of her cheeks whilst her heart raced within her chest. 

He seemed somewhat pleased with her reaction, and he grinned up at her as he rummaged around in the pocket of his sweatpants.

“I - Anna,” he started, though his voice trembled a little, “you’re the most _extraordinary_ person that I’ve ever known, and I - I love you with all that I am. And I know I told you that you're my _girl,_ now; but I - well, I want you to be more than that.”

Her breath hitched in her throat as he used his thumb and forefinger to open the small, black box up to her, and though the tears in her eyes made it difficult to see the amber stone as clearly as she would have liked to, she could still tell that it was beautiful. 

“Will you -”

Adrenaline bubbled within her as her heart pounded impossibly faster, and she’d thought that something seemed off with him tonight, thought that he was acting rather unusual, no matter how sweet he was; but she would’ve never have guessed that he was planning _this,_ and Anna nodded her head up and down with eager excitement. 

Kristoff huffed out a laugh at her reaction, though the noise served as an interruption to his question, and he inhaled a sharp breath before he tried again. 

“Will you marry me?”

“ _Yes_ ,” she squealed, and she beamed as he practically jumped to his feet and moved to grasp at her waist. “Yes, I - _of course,_ ” she continued, her words choked, and then his lips were on hers. 

She couldn’t help but giggle softly against his lips as a result of the giddy excitement that coursed through her, and as he raised one of his hands to cup her face, Anna knew that come tomorrow, her cheeks would certainly ache as a result of all her smiling. 

“I love you,” she told him, “I - _god,_ Kris, I love you _so much_.” 

“I love you, too,” he grinned, “and I - oh, _crap_ , let me -”

She watched in amusement as Kristoff dropped his hand from her cheek so that he could use it in order to carefully remove the ring from the box, and Anna felt her bottom lip tremble ever so slightly when he reached out and took her left hand in his. Her eyes flickered between his and the ring, though in the end, she couldn’t help but focus her attention purely on the jewelry when he slipped it onto her finger.

“I - it’s so beautiful,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion as she blinked down at the amber stone, and his fingers twitched against hers. 

“Do you like it?” he asked, and she lifted her eyes to meet with his. 

The candles had almost burned out and their dirty dishes were still on the table, their wine glasses were still half-full and Kristoff was dressed in his sweatpants and plain t-shirt; and whilst it wasn’t the proposal that she’d imagined growing up, it was the one that she’d fantasised about since the moment that his eyes had locked with her own from the centre of the ring, and Anna wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

This was the man who she loved, the man who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; and by some stroke of luck, he wanted her just as much.

“Kristoff,” she breathed, and her eyes pooled with tears once more as she grinned up at him, “it’s _perfect._ ”


End file.
